Almost Murder
by Zee-Zee Magee
Summary: Rizzoli, Isles and the rest of the homicide squad are investigating yet another attempted murder case, the attempted murder of Sophie Devereaux, the grifter of Nathan Ford's crew of do-gooder thieves. Now they have to find the culprit responsible and avoid arresting the thieves in the process. Yeah, that'll happen when Ford's on the war-path with Spencer ready to strike.
1. The Scene of the Crime

**A/N:** _I don't own Leverage or Rizzoli and Isles. I'm just playing with them because I just can't help it anymore._

"Jane, we've got a problem," Korsak hissed. He was reading the driver's license of their newest victim, a brunette woman in her early to mid-forties with several stab wounds throughout her chest and torso.

"What's the problem?" Jane Rizzoli demanded immediately. She quickly closed up the zip-lock bag she was currently using to gather up evidence. The crime had to have been at least half an hour fresh and still didn't seem to have enough evidence to make it an easy case.

"Our victim is still alive despite the amount of blood loss and damage done to her upper and lower chest cavities," Dr. Maura Isles shrugged in confusion. She was the top body examiner the Boston Police had and seemed completely thrilled to have a live body to work on for once.

"I would consider that a miracle not a problem," she finished in all seriousness. Her face was blank and unreadable at the weird glare coming from her partner.

"So what problem do we have, Korsak?" Jane rolled her eyes at her best friend and turned towards her mentor impatiently waiting for a subject change.

"The driver's license says Mrs. Sarah Jane Baker," Korsak said, his face completely torn between fear and confusion, "a well-known alias of Sophie Devereaux."

Maura gasped at the name while Jane's expression remained on of confusion.

"Sophie Devereaux?" She asked. She put her left hand on her hip as the name slowly began to register throughout her brain's memory. She ran her lower lip through her teeth and switched hands on her hips. The quirky brunette then tilted her head to the right and bit her lip again.

"Like Nathan Ford's Sophie Devereaux?" She questioned with wide eyes suddenly popping onto her face.

"She certainly fits the description," Maura acknowledged dryly. Then the redhead started tinkering with her cell phone to get more information.

"Already did that," Korsak nodded towards the device angrily, "It's her."

"But that's impossible," Jane quickly scoffed at the idea, "Sophie Devereaux left Boston with the rest of them."

"Apparently they had another job they needed to pull here," Korsak shrugged. He was just as confused as she was. He was just hiding it better.

"You think it was a mark that attacked her?" Maura questioned immediately.

"It has to be," Jane answered instantly thinking about the task at hand, "Sophie Devereaux is number one on all of the mobs' don't mess with list. Parker, of course being number two."

"Why exactly is that?" Frost demanded in confusion. Apparently he was done checking on the statement of the person who found their vic. His notebook was still out but it was closed and ready for business.

"Nathan Ford is the son of Jimmy Ford…" Jane said.

"Yeah, who was the fixer back in the day before he went to prison and then he tried to pull one last heist," Frost reported instantly, "I know that Jane. He's under protection out of respect to his father and the fact that he took out the Donnelly's when they interfered with a bank, I get that. What I don't get is why Sophie Devereaux is number one on that list."

"She's his main squeeze," Maura smiled at the question, "but that's only if the rumors are true."

"And the mob fears the wrath of Nathan Ford," Korsak shrugged at the doctor's statement.

"Why?" Frost asked, arms raised high in frustration.

"Because he's got Eliot Spencer on his team," Jane sighed at the statement, "Well, we at least know it wasn't a local hit."

"That only means this is going to get way more difficult than it needs to be," Frost nodded along.

"And we're going to have to deal with the wrath of Nathan Ford," Korsak grimaced at what was about to happen.

"That's assuming he doesn't already know that his girlfriend was almost stabbed to death and may still not make it," Jane huffed.

_Meanwhile…_

"Nate, we've got a problem," Eliot grumbled into the coms. There was panic and fear in his voice, two things that weren't supposed to be in a former retrieval specialist's voice.

"Ya think?" Hardison sassed back right on cue with more than panic in his voice, "What was your first clue on the subject? The fact that Sophie's com just suddenly went out for no reason at all or the fact that she's not answering her phone and her house's security system isn't even on! Honestly, what could be the problem?"

"Hardison!" Nate shouted at the young hacker, "Just shut up and find her!"

"No need," Eliot snarled, "I've already done it."

"And?" Nate's voice immediately went up a couple of octaves in his desperation for the truth. His fingers immediately scrubbed at his grey-streaked brown hair. There was evidence of tears in his blue eyes but nobody was going to comment on it.

"You're not going to like it," Eliot's voice sounded so hollow all of a sudden. It even sounded like he was holding back some sniffles himself.

"Did she kill a guy?" Parker demanded eagerly. She was apparently still in belief that the grifter was a super hero and couldn't be killed. That was going to be an interesting conversation to have for the fourth time.

"Nah," Parker wrinkled her nose and flipped back her blonde hair, "She'd just knock him out and wait for Eliot to do the rest. So did ya kill him, Eliot?"

"Sophie's in an ambulance on her way to the hospital, Parker," Eliot said, not even waiting for the shock to sink in. He didn't even seem to care about being delicate with the crazy blonde thief.

"Wha… Wha-What do you mean?" Hardison said. His fingers immediately froze on the keyboard at the hitter's words. His face grew slack and his eyes went wide in shock. He even seemed to be having a mini-panic attack with the way he was wheezing and coughing.

Parker just smacked him on the back. Her face looked blank like always. She was probably not quite getting the magnitude of the situation. Of course, she could have been understanding the situation perfectly and just not letting it show. She was crazy and all.

"How bad is it and how soon can we get her out?" She asked with a grin. Well, that answered that question.

"I don't know yet," Eliot growled into the coms, "I'm following the ambulance as we speak but it's pretty bad. Frost and Rizzoli called in Dr. Isles and they're faces did not look too happy when they finished examining her."

"Examining her," Nate caught onto the words instantly, "There's only one reason police detectives examine bodies."

"Sophie's dead!" Hardison squeaked out in horror. Then he started choking and hyperventilating.

"Put your head between your legs," Parker said, holding the hacker's head down as she spoke. Then she looked up at Nate with her usual straight lined lips.

"How are you so calm about this?" Hardison gasped from between his knees. His breaths were still coming in raspy drawls but he was at least breathing properly again.

"It's Sophie," Parker shrugged, "She can't die."

"There was a lot of blood, Parker," Eliot hissed.

Nate pressed his left hand against his earbud with excitement on his features. Hope was officially back in his eyes and making them glow once again.

"So she's alive?" He asked.

"She went into an ambulance," Eliot reported dutifully, "There was no body bag and I saw her hair. She was wearing a mask."

"But she's alive?" Nate demanded immediately. He was already grabbing his coat and keys. There was hope in his every move and that wasn't going to change anytime soon.

"She was when they left her house," Eliot said, hope nowhere in his tone, "There was a lot of blood, Nate."

"But she's alive," Nate confirmed grabbing his keys and racing out the door.

"He's on his way, man," Hardison croaked out. He was on his feet as well and dutifully following the thief out the door.

"We all are," Parker finished.

Eliot nodded his head at their words. He expected something like that to happen. So he turned the keys in his car and started the car. He put the gear in drive and started to pull out of his parking spot.

"I'll try to get the information before you get there," he said.


	2. Hospital Gathering

**A/N:**_In case I didn't make it clear in the first chapter. I do not own any rights to Rizzoli and Isles or Leverage. There are no profits involved just a cure of my need to write about anything and everything. Thank you and enjoy.  
_

**Portland, Oregon: 3 days earlier…**

There was a man with a nice clean suit and hair only slightly parted towards the left to hide his bald patch sitting at a tiny café across from a brunette woman in a ruby red dress. Both were smiling and obviously enjoying their conversation. The man stood up from his seat at the table and kissed the brunette on the cheek. The woman just waved him away with a big smile of her own. Then the grifter pressed her left pointer finger into her left ear.

"Nate, we have a problem," Sophie Devereaux commented into the coms softly.

Nate scowled at the announcement. He was sitting with Hardison at their offices watching the scene via traffic cams and the button cam on Sophie's blouse. Eliot was sitting at a table across the street from the café for safety purposes. Parker was busy repairing her rappels in the rafters above.

"You know how much I hate it when you say that, Soph," the mastermind grumbled at the tiny statement.

"Well, in case you haven't heard the news through the button cam, the traffic cameras, the security cameras to the cafes all around here or through my com," Sophie growled, "He wants to take me to Boston to finish the transaction!"

"No, he doesn't," Hardison replied, typing all the while, "That's just an excuse to keep you around longer because the dude's got a serious crush on you."

"And the fact that you're married to Nate doesn't seem to be stopping him from wanting a date with you," Parker chirped.

"Parker," Eliot growled, "You do realize that Sophie and Nate aren't really married right? They're only pretending."

"For now," Nate finished offhandedly.

Sophie choked on the cup of tea she was sipping at. Eliot even paused in his motion of biting into a doughnut. Parker's face lit up into a proud grin. Hardison was joining the grifter in choking on his drink, a bottle of orange soda like always.

"What?" The hacker demanded angrily.

"Yeah, I'm with him," Sophie said.

"Okay, so the mark wants us to meet him in Boston," Nate said, changing the subject immediately, "We can do that."

"We can't go back to Boston because it's still too hot for us to go there," Hardison challenged immediately.

"And what exactly do you mean by the whole yet thing?" Sophie asked in a shrill voice a couple octaves higher than usual.

"Hardison, get us to Boston," Nate ordered. Then he got up from the office table and started making his way out of the offices completely. There was a slight buzzing sound in the coms and everybody knew what that meant. The mastermind just turned off his com.

Parker flipped down from the ceiling and into the abandoned chair beside the hacker. Hardison turned at the wrong moment and jumped at his girlfriend's sudden appearance. Okay, he may have squeaked a bit too.

"Woman," he huffed, trying his hardest to take back control of his breathing to no avail.

"So," Parker continued on as if nothing happened, "How are we going to get to Boston?"

Sophie was still sitting at her table in confusion. She looked across the street towards the hitter for help. Eliot just shrugged in confusion of the weird look on her face. He wasn't getting why she was so flustered and baffled. The grifter rolled her eyes and huffed before she picked up her cup of tea.

"Am I the only one who heard him saying yet to the fact that we aren't married?" She huffed, stealthily using her tea cup to hide the fact that she was talking into her com. Then she sipped at her tea as if nothing out of the ordinary happened.

Eliot rolled his eyes and chuckled at the grifter's drama. This only seemed to make the brunette scowl which made him laugh harder.

"Oh we all heard it," Hardison said. He was busy typing away to find ways of getting them into Boston without alerting the rest of thief world. So far, he and Parker were the only ones who weren't going to die. He was working on the grifter's profile now. Parker was busily munching on some cereal and pressing random buttons whenever she felt like it. It seemed to be helping the hacker's concentration quite a bit.

"As long as I'm not the only one," Sophie smiled into her cup.

Eliot tried his hardest not to frown at her comment. He could tell simply by the way the grifter was acting that she didn't know what to do with that information. Then he noticed her giving him a wounded puppy look. He bowed his head at the power of it. He covered his own guilt with a giant gulp of his third bottle of beer.

Present:

Eliot rushed through the hospital doors in time to see that his timing was perfect. He could see the brunette grifter being wheeled through the E.R. while doctors were preparing her for surgery. It was only a matter of time before the grifter disappeared behind closed doors. He rushed towards her at top speed. He needed her to know. He was afraid of what would happen if she didn't know.

An E.R. nurse and a young black man with a detective's badge stopped him before he could accomplish his goal. The nurse had a serious expression on her face and was shaking her head in the negative viciously. The detective was just blocking the grifter from view and enforcing the nurse's authority.

"I'm sorry sir but we can't let you through," she said. Her hand on his right bicep was firm and informed him that she would not be taken lightly.

"She's my friend," Eliot sputtered out in a panic. He knew it was a mistake to admit it but he had no choice. Sophie was going into surgery without knowing the truth. She needed to know it if she had any fighting chance. He needed to give her a fighting chance. He owed her a fighting chance.

"I understand that you're worried about her," the nurse said softly. Her tone had immediately switched to one a little more sympathetic, but she still wasn't going to let him barge over there. It didn't matter anyway. The grifter had disappeared already.

"But you have to let the doctors do their job, Mr. Spencer," the detective explained with a sad smile.

The hitter immediately turned towards the young man and tried to smile back. He was pretty certain he failed when the guy's face fell into a more subdued expression. Oh well, he wasn't really aiming to make anybody feel better at the moment. His friend was in trouble and since the police were already waiting for him. He might as well cooperate.

"Is there anything I can do to help you, Frost?" He demanded immediately.

That cracked a smile on Frost's face and the younger man gestured towards a couple of empty seats in a secluded area in the hospital. They were going to have privacy and that was definitely going to be something worth waiting for.

"Lead the way," Eliot obliged softly.

Just then, Nathan Ford raced through the hospital front doors with a manic expression on his face. The thief and the hacker were only moments behind. All three were looking around wildly for any sign of where their grifter could be. Then the mastermind's blue eyes fell upon the hitter and the police detective. He rushed towards them with hope filling his features.

"How is she?" He demanded without even catching a breath first.

"She just went into surgery, Mr. Ford," Frost reported softly. He was going to try to keep their situation as professional as possible.

"We won't know anything for a while," Eliot translated. He could see the two youngest member of the team's face's fall at that shocking bit of news.

"She's going to be okay, right?" Hardison asked softly. Parker's eyes grew wide with fear and she turned towards the hacker with betrayal all over her features. She looked like she was about to slap him.

"Don't say that," she demanded angrily, "It's Sophie. She'll be fine."

She sat herself down in a chair and stared at the surgery doors. She was going to sit there and patiently wait for the news that the grifter was going to be fine. She was going to refuse to believe anything else was possible.

The mastermind suddenly flung himself onto the hitter like most crazy people would. He slammed the younger man against the wall and glared daggers into his eyes. Everybody jumped towards the pair trying to figure out if they should separate the impending fight or not.

"Why weren't you there?" Nate demanded angrily. His jaw was tight with anger and frustration. He was speaking through his teeth and his muscles were vibrating with the infamous fight or flight instinct.

"I was," Eliot responded quickly. His eyes were heavy with guilt and looked almost as distraught as the man before him. He was just as upset as the rest of them.

"I'm the one who called for the police," he said.

Parker blinked at that odd comment and turned towards the hacker for confirmation that he heard the same thing she did. Their eyes connected and there was a soft nod coming from him. They had both heard and now they were curious. Why would Eliot Spencer choose to call the cops to save one of their one?

"I couldn't feel a pulse," Eliot answered the unasked question. His muscles were visibly twitching as they struggled not to fight with the mastermind pinning him down. He was just as screwed up at the moment. Hopefully their little stand-off wouldn't be much longer.

"How were you too late?" Nate asked. His voice cracked at the sad little fact. His emotions were starting to show and that was always a dangerous thing. Nathan Ford did not like showing his emotions let alone allowing them to whine through. If he was going crazy now, they were looking at horrible things in the future. Sophie Devereaux was literally the only person now who could save him from another downward spiral.

"I told you the house was too far away," the hitter said, "I didn't have a chance."

Silence fell at the hitter's words as the thieves worked on absorbing the true horror of their situation. Frost decided to use the moment to his advantage. He worked his way up to the entangled pair and gently coughed. The impulse got their attention and both blue eyed men turned towards him. Both had fear and death in their eyes. This was going to be a very interesting partnership.

"I'm afraid that I'm going to have to ask a few questions to find out who did this," he said, "Otherwise the guy may strike somebody else and we don't want that."

"No," Eliot shook his head, "Whoever this is they're after us. You won't have to worry about any innocent citizens getting hurt."

"This time around," Parker chirped softly. Her blue-grey eyes were now missing their usual luster. They were dark and clouded over. It was like her entire world had been turned upside down. She knew exactly what was going on now. She was no longer in denial and hurt everybody to know.

"Jane was supposed to be here before you guys but she sent me on ahead just in case," Frost explained softly. He was watching each and every one of them with careful eyes. It was obvious to all that he wasn't going to let them out of his sight if he could help it. He was probably ordered to ensure that they didn't let them go.

"Since she's not here I'm going to have to know everything about the job you were pulling in town," he finished.

The hacker's frown slowly tipped upwards at the other man's words. A noise escaped his lips and for just a moment, it sounded like he was laughing at the very thought. The only problem with that suggestion was the fact that his eyes didn't crinkle with happiness. They were still blank and hollow of emotion. He was still just standing there, waiting. It was always the worst on the families who waited.

"You're going to have to define what job you're talking about," he replied. He finally managed to lift his head up enough to stare the detective straight in the eyes. Their security was still too important to trust the police with the truth. They had to feel them out first.

"Tell me everything you can," Frost smiled at Hardison's willingness to help. He didn't care about the information he got. He just needed enough to help them anyway he could. He wasn't the main interrogator on this one. He was their go between.

Eliot and Nate turned to look at each other. Parker and Hardison were sitting themselves down as close to the surgery doors as they could get. Frost was standing between them. The hitter and the mastermind were the two his eyes were glued to. It made sense that he was going to see how they played this out. Nate was the one in charge and all.

"You gonna let go of me anytime soon?" Eliot asked. He even tilted his head towards his right side to indicate the arm pinning his shoulder to the wall.

The mastermind just looked at him. There were so many emotions and versions of anger filtering through his eyes that the hitter didn't know what was about to come next. They were at a point where they just had to wait and see what would happen. That was always the mastermind's weakest ability.

"We'll wait until she's out of surgery," he finally spoke. His voice was heavy with cracks and his eyes were shining with unshed tears. He looked like his world was on the verge of collapse. It truth, it was.

"Then you're going to find the guy responsible, with or without the help of the Boston Police."

%

Jane ran through the E.R. as quickly as her feet could carry her. It had taken forever for the swat team to get there. It was unnecessary considering there were no bombs in the gr-victim's home but they had to make sure before they continued looking for evidence about the crime. Maura was still searching through most of the stuff so she could question the other thieves-concerned family members.

Her only remaining hope was Frost. He knew they were world renowned thieves who could disappear in a second. His job was to keep them there until she came. They had to figure out their next move and they couldn't do that with the thieves going out and looking for evidence too. She needed to explain to them that they had to let her do her job. If they didn't the killer would definitely get away. She would accept their help however she could but there wasn't much she'd be able to let them do. They were thieves first and wanted around the world to boot. Korsak was already on the phone trying to decide how much he was going to tell the chief about their case. Hopefully they wouldn't have to make any arrests until it was already too late. Sure, they were criminals but they were the victim's family first.

She found them the moment she stepped away from the nurse's desk. A young black man barely out of his early twenties was sitting next to a tiny blonde wisp of a woman. They were holding hands while the young man typed away at his phone. He had to be the hacker to be so intuned to his phone and still be staring off into space. The woman's tiny frame must have meant she was the infamous thief everybody had heard about. She was the only woman there so her identity wasn't all too hard to figure out. She was trying her hardest to stay put but she was a bundle of energy being contained in a tiny bag. Her twitching right foot underneath her chair was proof enough of that. Both seemed to be in a zone all their own despite their connected hands.

Jane spotted Frost next and her partner just nodded his head in acknowledgement. He did his job well and he was trying to keep the calm however he could. Of course, he was the only one standing but that was as a preventative measure. He was signaling to the thieves that they weren't allowed to leave yet. That was good news. The first Rizzoli had gotten all day.

She looked towards the left and noticed two brunette men, one with long hair and one without, sitting on the edges of their seat. The older of the two men had traces of gray around his temples. He was leaning forward with his hands tightly clasped together. It was like he was praying with everything he had. The other man was sitting there, assessing without assessing. He was keeping his eyes out for danger while still consoling his friend however he could. He was on a tight leash waiting to be told to attack. The older man was constantly breaking away from his prayer long enough to pat his watchdog on the arm. He was telling the younger man to stay without even saying a word. He was the one who looked like his world was about to fall apart.

Jane smiled at the pair. She knew exactly who they were and which one she had to talk to. So she walked up as softly as she could. Her steps were mindful of the attack dog eagerly waiting to pounce. She made certain every move she made was unthreatening and careful. The last thing she wanted was to fight Eliot Spencer in a hospital. Finally, she stopped right in front of the graying man in prayer.

"Nathan Ford," she said, "We need to talk."

The older man raised his head up and stared his deep blue eyes into hers. There was so much sadness and pain in those eyes it was suffocating. Jane almost stepped back at the power within them, but she didn't. She stood her ground and took note of the way Spencer's lips upturned. He knew she was asking for permission to speak with his leader. He knew she was conveying subjection despite the fact that she liked to dominate. He knew exactly what she was up to and so did the older man beside him.

"Jane Rizzoli," Nathan Ford said standing up as he spoke, "It's been a long time."

He then extended his hand for a shake and the detective accepted. She had no choice. She remembered when Jimmy Ford's son wasn't interested in taking on the family business. Sure, he was a couple classes ahead of her in school, but everybody had known he was a good man deep down. It was one of the reasons they were asking the chief permission not to arrest them.

"I wish this were under different circumstances," she replied. It was true and they both knew it. Their divisions tended to avoid each other in business. It was how they were able to get away with talking to each other. A former thief that worked to right the wrongs they couldn't was always a touchy subject in the police department.

Nathan actually tried to laugh at that statement. Well, the corners of his lips thought about tilting up. Instead he just seemed even more manic than he had been praying in his seat. Even his hand was shaking with the effort of holding himself together.

"At least then you would have had a better reason to arrest me," he finally answered.

"Chief says we don't have to arrest them do to our investigation," Korsak reported right on cue. How he managed to show up exactly when they needed him to, was still a mystery to his young protégé. But it was always a blessing and one that Jane Rizzoli would never tire of.

"Unless we find any evidence linking this stabbing to their job we are to treat them like suspects in this case and this case alone," he finished with a sad smile. His loathing of their methods was nothing compared to his approval of who they were helping. It was why he volunteered to personally make the call to the chief. He could respect thieves who worked to right wrongs they couldn't. He just couldn't bring himself to accept them as one of the good guys. Under any other circumstances, he would have arrested them on the spot.

"Only if we have a reason to of course," Frost lightened the mood considerably. Parker looked like she was about to run before he said anything. The only thing that probably prevented her was the fact that the hacker was squeezing her hand in a death grip. His nervous typing seized the moment the other detective had entered the room. Both were looking towards their boss for any sign of what to do next. That was pretty brave considering the emotional turmoil he had to be in.

"Of course," Nathan smiled amicably. He was trying his best to appear unaffected by this whole mess. He wasn't fooling anybody and it was sad to see. Everybody knew Nathan Ford was a pretty solid grifter when he needed to be. Of course, that was usually because of Sophie Devereaux.

"Come on, Nate," Jane said keeping her voice soft to not alarm anybody into a brawl, "I've got a few questions I need to ask you. I want to get an idea of who could have done this."

"I agree completely," he nodded. Jane didn't miss the quick look he gave to his team members. He was obviously telling them to stand down and wait for further instructions. He was trying to figure out their next move.

_Good_, she thought, _they were at equilibrium._


	3. The Time of Waiting

**A/N:** _Sorry this took so long to update. Next time just give me a review if it's been too long so I will know to get right on that. Enjoy!_

Boston, Massachusetts: 48 hours before

Hardison was busy handing out room keys, licenses, permits, badges, and other odd paraphernalia off to each member of his team. He was scrolling through his phone while he was handing out each one. His paranoia at being anywhere near their old haunt was felt by all. It was obvious from the very start in fact.

"Now, there's not much I can do except to hack the police computers but that's going to take me a while," Hardison announced sadly, "You guys are going to have to stay low for the next two days as far as the police are concerned."

Nate nodded his head at his hacker's warning. "Right," he said, "Sophie, you're going to have to try your best to avoid the local districts and usual haunts. Parker, I'm going to need you and Eliot to scope out a safe house for each of us. I don't want us separating if we can help it so find Sophie and I a house and you will have to share one with Hardison."

"It's best if I get a place closer to you and Sophie while Hardison and Parker are as far away as possible," Eliot interrupted.

"Without being obvious about avoiding each other in the event something goes south," Parker agreed. Then she looked up from the pavement and realized everybody was glaring at her. She scrunched up her face in confusion.

"What?" She asked, "Nate's plans always go to smoke at the worst possible points during the con."

"Usually because we succeed too well," Sophie agreed.

"Well, we are awesome," Parker shrugged.

"Nate," Eliot growled, "We need to scatter now. The rest of us can't be seen with you. Hardison, you look for electronics for us to use in case of emergency."

"We have to wrap this up as soon as possible," Nate informed the team, "I'm going to play distraction. Send a text of our houses. We'll work out our next meeting at eight tonight."

The group disbanded immediately until all that was left were the grifter and the hitter.

"We have to tell him," Sophie whined.

The hitter shook his head. "I told you before we can't," he said, "It'll crush him."

"He has a right to know what's happening," she replied. Her voice was like a whip and just as heartbreaking.

"He can't know," Eliot disagreed, "for all of our sakes."

Then the hitter was off to work on his chores for the day. The grifter watched after him with misery all over her features.

Present:

Nate was tapping his foot on the floor doing everything he could not to have a mental breakdown in front of the team. Rizzoli and her team of detectives were busy questioning each member of the team individually. Well, they were kindly forgetting about the fact that each member of the team had their own earbud to stay in contact with the others. It made deciding their story a lot easier. It was a good distraction to not worry about… Well, it stopped the mastermind from thinking about the grifter stuck in a hospital bed going through surgery and quite possibly bleeding to death everywhere. Yeah, he was trying so hard not to think about that.

He was fighting back flashbacks of his visits to Sam while they were in the hospital. He was trying so hard not to think about his son's last moments on Earth and the way he just stopped breathing. He was trying so hard to ignore his father's last words before the bombs went off. He couldn't allow himself to think about the past right now. He had to focus. He had to stay in the present and focus on his team. He had to protect his team and help them through this. He couldn't think she was going to die.

"How are you holding up?" Jane asked handing him a cup of coffee and looking sad for him.

"Is it my turn for the interview already?" Nate joked.

He accepted the cup of coffee and swallowed it whole in one gulp. He enjoyed the burn a little too much. His hands were shaking and he felt cold chills rolling up and down his spine. He was in very bad shape. There was no way he was going through withdraw so fast. It couldn't have been that long since this all started.

"When was the last time you had a drink?" Jane asked. She was obviously catching onto his odd behavior. She even seemed to be coming to the same conclusion he was.

"Sophie and I shared a morning drink with our breakfast this morning," he replied. He could have come up with another story. He should have come up with something else to say. He was just too distracted. Besides, honesty was definitely the best policy when it came to Detective Jane Rizzoli. She respected the truth more.

"You do realize that it has been twelve hours since this whole thing began right?" She asked, "I'm guessing it's been over twenty-four hours since you had your last drink. She's been in surgery for eight hours…"

"Three hours of prep," Nate nodded. He really hadn't thought it had been that long since he had seen his healthy, beautiful girl. He hadn't seen her or heard her wonderful voice in a full day now. Now he was nervous.

"Well, prep surgery is basically part of the surgery only where they are exploring and making certain of all of their incisions and that they are treating the correct areas. Her wounds were highly extensive. I would have honestly been surprised if surgery took eight hours."

A woman with red hair slowly approached the both of them. Her facial expression was highly serious and her outfit was just as ridiculously in fashion as Sophie. Nate smiled despite himself at that news.

"Dr. Maura Isles," Nate sighed, "It's nice to see you again."

"I wish I could say the same but it's never nice seeing you in emotional duress," Isles replied. She was dead-pan serious and it almost made Nate laugh in relief at the seriousness in her tone.

"Hopefully the doctor has something more interesting to tell us," Jane replied nodding her head in the direction of the incoming doctor.

"Tom Baker?" The doctor asked looking around for any sign of the victim's family.

Nate jumped up at the mention of his alias. He waved the doctor over and fought hard to compose himself. He needed to be as neutral as possible.

"That's me," he coughed out.

The doctor took a deep breath and his face slowly formed into a frown. Well, that wasn't a good sign.

"Perhaps you should sit down for this," Jane said accurately picking up on the doctor's demeanor.

"I'm gonna stand," Nate argued. Nobody even batted an eye at his request. They knew full-well his experiences in hospitals.

"Mr. Baker," the doctor said, "You're wife barely made it out of surgery. She… well, her heart stopped twice and we had to resuscitate her. She's stable but there's not a lot we can do. She had more than extensive amounts of trauma to both of her lungs as well as vital organs. She lost a kidney; there was a gaping hole in her heart. Frankly I'm amazed we were even able to get her back once let alone twice. The only reason surgery took as long as it did was because there was so much blood and damage to sort through. The stab wounds were highly sufficient and should have killed her instantly."

"What does that mean?" Jane asked.

The mastermind said nothing. He was just breathing. He couldn't think of anything to say or do. He could only breathe.

"She's in a coma," the doctor summed up softly, "And the chances of her coming out of it are slim to none. I'm sorry, Mr. Baker, but there's nothing we can do right now except wait and see. We'll try to make her as comfortable as possible."

"Thank you," Nate nodded at the man's words. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the images of his dying son. He had to stay here. Sophie had to stay here. She needed the equipment and the doctors were the best thing for this situation. They were stuck in Hell.

"In a few minutes a nurse will escort you to her room," the doctor finished. Then he was gone and leaving Nate alone with the detectives to tell the rest of the team the evil news.

"Parker's gone," Hardison groaned into the coms.

Nate jumped at the sound in his ear. He had to bite his lower lip to keep himself from cursing in pain and disgust. He had forgotten about the coms and the fact that his team were listening the whole time.

"Well go after her," Eliot growled in reply, "Go after her attacker. I was trying to say go after her attacker but my throat caught."

Nate could only imagine what Frost's face looked like. The young detective was probably working on figure out whether or not the team was using their coms. It didn't help that they were suspected of carrying the things. Perhaps they should admit to the police that they had them. It could have helped.

"She ditched her shoes," Hardison said grumbling all the while, "She's as good as gone."

"Yeah just let her go, Hardison," Nate whispered, "She needs time."

"What?"

Nate snapped to attention at the feminine voice. Rizzoli and Isles were both staring at him with different degrees of concern on their faces.

"What?" He asked.

"Did you say something?" Rizzoli demanded of him softly.

"No, I didn't say anything," Nate shook his head. He pulled his face together and tried to look as innocent as possible. That wasn't exactly an easy thing to do considering he was about to fall apart and everything.

"Alright," Rizzoli nodded. He could tell simply by the way she was looking at him that she wasn't satisfied.

"Your hands are shaking," Isles pointed out softly.

Nate looked down and was amazed to see she was right. His fingers were tangled together and his hands were still throbbing in his lap. He quickly flexed his hands to disperse the shakes and groaned at their refusal to obey. They were still shaking and quaking no matter what he did to stop them.

"Your last drink was yesterday morning, right?" Rizzoli pressed softly.

Nate closed his eyes as he tried to focus his mind. He knew exactly where she was going and he didn't want to go there. He didn't want to worry about anything or anyone but Sophie Devereaux.

"I'll be fine, Jane," he muttered out.

He didn't sound fine. That was the problem. He sounded like the giant wreck he was. He needed to gain control. His team needed him to be in control. Of course, they all knew he wouldn't be. Even they weren't in control.

"I just need some coffee," he decided stubbornly.

"I'll go get you a cup," Jane said, "Don't move."

"Couldn't even if I wanted to," Nate replied, "She does that to me."

"I'll go with you, Jane," Maura decided.

Nate laughed at the way she said it. She was hiding something important about the case. It was information worth finding out. Hell, anything was worth finding out when it involved Sophie. Plus it gave a certain member of his team something to do.

"Hardison, I'm going to need you to hack into Dr. Isles' phone and listen in on their conversation. I have a feeling that it's very important."

"Are you sure?" Hardison asked.

He sounded tired and beat. No, he really sounded like he had spent the past few hours crying. It was highly probable considering the hacker's past brushes with death. He really wasn't a fan and he didn't care if anyone thought him weak. He was someone who liked to wear his emotions on his sleeve. It was something Sophie admired most about him. It was why they got along.

"Mr. Baker?" A nurse called off in the distance.

Nate raised his hand and immediately got to his feet. The nurse smiled at him and went straight to him.

"Will you follow me, please?" She asked.

"I'm sure, Hardison," he said.

Then the mastermind nodded his head towards the nurse and followed her to the grifter.


	4. Visits and Plans

**A/N:**_Sorry this took so long. Enjoy and let me know if it's been too long between updates. I'll do my best to update asap.  
_

**2 Days Earlier…**

"You can't be serious!" Sophie scowled towards the man, "I am not seducing him!"

"It won't be for long, Soph," Eliot rolled his eyes at the grifter's antics, "Just long enough for me to get the files he has."

"You listen to me, Eliot Spencer!" Sophie growled her right pointer finger boring into his chest with every word she spoke, "I will not seduce Nathan Ford into drinking a sleeping pill because of your screw up! You want to fix it, fine! You fix it! I'm not going to be a part of this anymore!"

"Sophie, you're the only way the plan will work and you know it," Eliot countered, "I wouldn't be askin' ya if it wasn't the only choice left."

"Why don't we tell him?" Sophie suggested softly, "That way I don't have to seduce him and you can enter the room without raising suspicion."

"Because he's not going to be as alright with this as you think he is, Soph."

"I can't keep doing this, Eliot! I can't keep hurting him! It's too much. We have to tell him."

"Telling him will hurt him even more than what we're already doing!"

"Then I want to stop!" Sophie screamed, tears brimming her eyes in frustration.

"No, you don't," Eliot replied, "If you did you would have stopped this already. You're just as invested as I am, maybe even more."

"I don't want to hurt him anymore," she gasped.

"I think it's already too late for that."

**Present…**

"What have you found?" Jane demanded of the doctor, "Wait!"

Rizzoli quickly looked left and right, up and down and all around for that matter. They were indeed in an abandoned hallway near the back of the hospital. The coffee machine was bubbling and groaning and far too loud for anybody to overhear their conversation. Not a person was in sight and that was the way it needed to be.

"Okay, now what have you found?" She repeated with a smile.

"You do realize that the likelihood of anybody being able to overhear our conversation or even care about our conversation from here is impossible, right?" Isles demanded softly, "Well, not exactly impossible but the odds of being overheard are in our favor which is kind of rare actually."

"Will you just tell me what you found?"

Jane rolled her eyes at her best friend. Why did they always have to do this? Every time Maura had information she was easily side-tracked and it was a battle just to get the information properly. Sometimes being a detective sucked.

"There were bugs, Jane." Maura said, sotto voice as usual, "We don't know how many but one of their marks definitely had details about their whereabouts and what was going on."

"Are you sure those bugs weren't theirs?" Jane asked, "They were living in separate houses which meant security wasn't as solid as usual. Are you sure that wasn't one of Hardison's do-hickeys?"

"Do-hickeys?" Hardison grumbled, "My babies are not do-hickeys and they're not bugs either! They are wonderful works of art and everybody on my team appreciates them."

Hardison was busy sifting through the conversation in his van. Unfortunately that meant that most of the conversation was coming through in short bursts instead of clear words. That was the problem with hospitals. They had too many signals interfering with other signals. He needed some way of clearing the system; Rizzoli's phone wasn't doing enough.

"What are you doing?"

Hardison jumped at the familiar voice. Then he swung around and captured the blonde into a big, fierce hug.

"Girl, I was worried about you," he said.

"Yeah," Parker patted him on the back awkwardly, "That's why I came back. I didn't want you worrying about me too."

"I'm glad you came back, Mama," Hardison winked at her.

Parker smiled, "What are you doing?"

"One of the detectives working Sophie's case has some news and I'm trying to figure it out but-"

"But the hospital signals mixed with all of the other signals is screwing up this signal," Parker finished for him with a smile. "What do you need me to do?"

Hardison grinned and held up a tiny black thing with a cord. Then he started swinging it gently in the air.

"Go hack a conversation, Mama," he replied.

%

Parker grinned at the feeling of air ducts all around her. She loved that feeling. It was a safe good feeling that nobody would be able to take away from her. It was where she fled to when the doctor first told Nate those terrible things.

She crawled through the air ducts and found her way to the grifter in no time flat. She laid her head against the grate located right above the grifter's head and listened. All she could here was the beeping of machines. There was a smell too, or antiseptics and death. That wouldn't have been so bad if the smells weren't mixed with the grifter's strawberry scent too. That was too much. So she raced out of the building with every plan to flee and save herself from losing another family. But thoughts of Hardison's worried face filled her head.

He would be distraught if she left, they all would. Hardison would be clicking away on his computers in search of her. Eliot would be scouring every hide out imaginable to find her. Even Nate would be calling anybody he could think of to get an account of her whereabouts. She couldn't do that to them, not with Sophie already putting them through the ringer. She couldn't leave her family when they needed her most. It was just something people didn't do and she was a person now. So she went straight for Hardison's van to collect a few things. And she found a hacker with a mission for her.

So she did what any good girlfriend would do. She was in the air ducts and directly above the detectives in no time flat. Now the tricky part was going to be getting the bug down there without it being seen. All she had to do was wait for Hardison's distraction and then plant the bug.

"Uploading the virus now, Mama," Hardison reported dutifully over coms.

"Is Nate aware that you are planting a virus into a coffee machine?" Parker questioned softly.

She didn't really care if the mastermind was. That wasn't the point. It was just too cool. The only thing cooler would be if Nate gave them permission. Plus, it was his cup of coffee that would be suffering for the cause.

"Nate told me to get the information," Hardison replied softly, "He did not specify how that had to be done."

"So we have permission, sweet!"

Parker giggled at the news. Of course the mastermind would let them have free range. Sophie was in trouble and that made all the difference. This was going to bring them one step closer to avenging her. That was all they needed to know.

The blonde thief giggled in glee when the plan went into action. The coffee machine was spitting and sputtering and causing a great sense of panic for the two detectives standing beside it. Dr. Isles was flagging down a nurse to get the problem fixed. Rizzoli was busy trying to fix the machine. Neither one of them were looking in the direction they needed to look at.

Parker quickly hopped out of the vent and placed the bug exactly where Hardison told her to. Isles' purse was almost as big as Sophie's and there was no way she would ever find the bug in it. Then the thief jumped back up into the vents and disappeared. It was like she had never been there at all.

"Okay," Hardison spoke softly, "Good job, baby girl, I'm online. Coffee machine will be fixed in three, two, one."

And just like that the coffee machine was no longer going haywire. It was spewing out coffee properly and did its job quite well. It was just a normal coffee machine and never going to cause a problem ever again. It was as innocent as ever and Jane Rizzoli was very annoyed by it. At least that was the emotion Parker thought she was experiencing. She was saying many bad words and punching and kicking the machine a lot.

"So what's the verdict?" Parker demanded the moment she got back to the van.

"Nothing positive," Hardison grumbled in despair, "Her blood soaked into the wooden floor and the guy left no footprints. They found the knife that was used but the guy was wearing a glove. They did find fingerprints on it though."

"Probably Eliot's because he found her," Parker grimaced.

"And we're about to find out what leads they have for the guy responsible," Hardison replied.

"The dead guy responsible," Parker grinned.

%

"So what did you get off of these bugs?" Jane demanded.

She was really irritated now. The stupid coffee machine wasn't working and she now how to bring the victim's boyfriend a ruined cup of coffee. Plus, the boyfriend was the leader of a group of thieves known notoriously throughout all of Boston. Yeah, her day was definitely going to get easier.

"Frost and I haven't had the chance to analyze anything yet," Isles replied, "But all of the evidence right now is pointing towards a professional hit."

"Which means we can't rule out an inside job," Rizzoli growled.

This was exactly what she hated most about this case. Not only did they have to walk around Ford and his team. They had to also deal with the possibility that at least one member had returned to the dark side. The case was definitely going to get worse before it got better. The worst part? Jane and Maura were going to have to try and keep their associates under surveillance and away from the case. That was basically impossible with the way the thieves worked.

"We were never going to be able to rule out an inside job this early on," Maura replied, "And all of the evidence we have so far points in that direction. Eliot Spencer called the police and we have no evidence of his footprints anywhere around the crime scene."

"And we can't rule out Nathan Ford because of the lack of evidence and no alibi just yet," Jane nodded, "Parker could easily get in and out of places without any trace."

"Alec Hardison is the only one I'm dead certain hasn't committed the murder and that's because he's a hacker. Hackers tend to be less aggressive because the crimes they perform make it so they don' see their victims. It's very easy to convince themselves that they have no victims."

"Didn't a hacker attempt to kill Sophie Devereaux before?" Jane asked.

"That is the rumor roaming around but that was Hardison's major competitor," Maura nodded, "Plus Hardison shows signs of entering the stages of grief. He's very much in denial about this whole thing. When we question him I will make certain of my analysis but I say no."

"Does that mean that Parker did it because she disappeared?" Jane demanded hopefully.

She had her doubts but it couldn't hurt. Parker did have a reputation for being a little animalistic in behavior. Some of the other departments even had reports of being tasered or worse because they interfered with her portion of a con. But she usually acted in defense of her other team members. If Devereaux had betrayed them she could have been the culprit responsible for the blood bath.

"The disappearance isn't because of a guilty conscious," Maura replied, "She disappears as a coping mechanism for the trauma. It's a direct result of growing up in a foster care system that was far less than ideal. It even dares to suggest some sort of emotional and mental abuse. It may even be a sign of physical abuse but without an up close and personal knowledge of her we will never know."

"So we're back to square one with the victim's own team!" Jane growled.

"At least we have suspects we can rule out," Maura shrugged.

She was just as confused by the case apparently. She was even fiddling around with her purse she was thinking so hard. She was probably just itching to return to her work and break whatever she could. She hated it when she wasn't working on a dead body. It made her feel less useful than she actually was.

"If we can rule them out," Jane said, "Come on, Maura. Let's go give Ford some coffee."

%

Nate followed the nurse into the ICU ward with nervous butterflies in his stomach. He was doing everything in his power to not let Korsak realize just how messed up he was. If he could fool the cops then he could fool his team. At least that was what he was hoping he could do. The way Korsak kept looking at him though seemed to suggest otherwise. The older man kept sending him looks of worry like he was expecting him to fall apart at any minute. He wasn't wrong either, that was the problem.

"Your wife is in here, sir," the nurse said.

She was pointing to a room with the label of ICU three. There were curtains drawn around it and two police officers were already barricading the door. They were standing with their arms crossed at the hips and looked bored already. Bored but vigilant, they weren't going to let anybody into those doors unless they absolutely had to. That was a good thing. Sophie deserved the best attention she could get.

"You can go in and see her now," the nurse encouraged with a smile far brighter than it should have been.

"It's alright, fellas," Korsak told the guards immediately, "He's the vic's boyfriend."

The guards just nodded and face forward as if they hadn't moved at all. They were like the guards in front of Buckingham Palace. It was fitting that Sophie would have guards so dedicated to her survival. She was British and royalty in a few countries at least. She would have laughed at the irony if she could.

"Go on, Ford," Korsak pressed a finger into his back lightly. "She needs to hear from ya."

Nate nodded his head and headed towards the door. He took a deep breath and plowed right on through. He was afraid he would chicken out if he didn't do it immediately. Then he immediately wished he hadn't done it.

There she was, Sophie Devereaux in the middle of a hospital bed lifeless in appearance. There were tubes flowing from her everywhere. A breathing machine was covering her blue lips. Her skin was pale and transparent. She was whiter than the sheets and her chest was only moving when the machine made it. She was connected to a tube of blood, leaking slowly into her body and having no visible effect. She looked like a wreck, a tiny fractured version of herself that had no right to exist. She looked weak and the mastermind hated it. She looked like Sam.

Nate slowly made his way closer. The repulsion of similarities between Sophie and Sam was nothing compared to the pull he felt towards her. He needed to be by her side. Even in her weakest moment, she still drew him near. It made him angry that she had that kind of power.

"You lied to me," he said.

He was by her side now. His right hand was shakingly trying to decide whether or not to touch her head. He wasn't sure if it was anger that was driving him or if it was fear. It had to be the fear that was keeping him from touching her. He was afraid that she would feel the same way Sam did. He was afraid of the cold skin beneath her hairline.

"You told me everything would be fine," he continued softly. His voice was a whisper in the wind for a reason even he couldn't understand. If anything the grifter needed to be shouted at in order to here. She couldn't be close by if she was stuck in a mindless coma.

"You told me not to worry about you. That Eliot had your back!"

His hand found its rightful place on her forehead. She wasn't cold to the touch as expected. No, she had a little heat to her body. It was just enough to suggest life but not enough for comfort. She was in there but barely. And that was frustrating.

"You lied, Sophie Devereaux. You told me you would be safe and that I didn't have to worry about you. But look at you now."

His lips were inches away from ear now. His hands were now gripping the sides of the bed and he was stooped low in concentration. Korsak hadn't entered yet but that didn't matter. He didn't need to hear what was about to fall from the mastermind's lips next. That was only for her to hear.

"You're dying," he moaned taking her left hand with his own. "And you're not supposed to be dying. You're supposed to be laughing and joking and promising Parker that she's going to be human one day. You're supposed to be forcing culture on Hardison so he does more than watch Doctor Who and play that World of Witchcraft game. You're supposed to be okay so Eliot isn't worrying all the time."

His eyes were feeling prickly so he took a deep breath. His hands were shaking again and he was starting to figure out why. It wasn't withdrawal like everybody thought. No, it was fear, nothing but pure fear. The fear that he was going to lose her, just like Maggie. Just like Sam.

"I need you, Soph," he said, "so please don't go."

Then the door swung open and Korsak entered. The older man paused at the sight of the grifter. He bowed his head and gave a little prayer. Then he turned towards the mastermind and spoke.

"It's your turn for questioning."

Nate swallowed back the sudden lump in his throat. Then he nodded his head and took the grifter's hand again.

"I'll be outside when you're ready," Korsak replied, leaving as he spoke.

Nate smiled at the allowance of privacy and turned back to his girl. He pushed back the hair on her forehead. Then he planted a kiss right there and tried to keep the tears at bay. Another kiss was place on the grifter's forehead just for his own peace of mind.

"Come back to me," he said.


	5. Things Aren't Looking Good

**A/N: **_Hey guys, sorry for the sporadic updates but I've been super busy at school. This weekend should produce some good stuff though so expect updates some time in the middle of next week. My goal is to finish up Almost Murder and Catching Fire. Plus I made a promise to a certain somebody that I would write them a story. My goal is to also get a new chapter of The Chase up so if you've been waiting for that cross your fingers and prompt me up. Thanks for everybody who is still sticking around and have a Happy Leverage Day!_

**1 Day Earlier…**

"What are your plans for tonight?"

Nate smiled into his glass of scotch. He turned towards the grifter and tried to feign a look of ignorance.

"Well," he said, "I was going to spend the rest of my night watching this guy I just destroyed fall. But then this hot brunette caught my eye and I thought I might see if she was up to a nice dinner out on the town."

Sophie smiled at the mastermind's plan. Then she quickly plopped herself in the stool beside him. She stole his glass and took a large gulp of the stuff.

"First," she said, "We're eating in because Eliot told you specifically to stay indoors. Second, you will be making me a fabulous dinner and it better have cost you more than twenty dollars to get the ingredients."

"And what exactly are you going to do for this token of my affections?" Nate smiled back at the grifter's fabulous idea.

"I'm going to wear a very sexy dress," Sophie replied kissing him lightly on the lips.

Nate felt his smile widen and chuckled at the statement. Then he stood to his feet and immediately paid his tab and for the grifter's next drink. He kissed her on the top of the head and squeezed her shoulder affectionately.

"I better get going then," he said, "I have a lot of work to do."

He was out the door before the grifter even had a moment to reply. Sophie just smiled at his quick departure and silently congratulated herself. Then she noticed a familiar reflection in her glass. She scowled at it and immediately brought the full pint to her lips. She drank the whole thing down in one shot and pounded it on the counter. Sure enough, the hitter was now occupying the stool the mastermind once inhabited.

"Did you do it?" He asked.

Sophie stared at him with calculating eyes. Then she swiftly raised her right hand towards the barkeep and ordered another. The barman looked towards the hitter with a quizzical eye. Eliot just nodded with his own order and the man was off to fetch them their drinks.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence while they waited for the drinks to arrive. They even stayed silent when the drinks did make it to them. Eliot just pulled out a wad of bills and paid for a few rounds in advance with a hefty tip to boot. He slowly sipped at his beer and waited for the grifter. He knew she would speak when she was ready. She didn't disappoint.

"It's done."

**Present…**

Jane and Maura walked towards their designated interrogation room. It was an office at the end of the hall in the Emergency Area. It was given to cops a long time ago when the crime rate was pretty much nothing but murder and attempted murder. It had the metal desk, the two-way mirror. It was pretty tricked out for a hospital interrogation room. Well, it was Ford's team who actually donated the money to make it a proper interrogation room. They apparently felt that cases that ended up still in the hospital deserved immediate attention. They just didn't buy anything more than the one room.

That was where Nathan Ford was currently sitting. His hands were once again in battle over trying to keep still. He was trying to make himself comfortable and kept pinching the bridge of his nose every twenty-three seconds. He would look at his hands in scorn and dart his eyes every which way. His left continued to tap away while he waited. There were heavy bags under his bright blue eyes too.

"He doesn't look good does he?" Jane observed quietly.

"He's showing symptoms of a panic attack," Maura replied, "He's easily agitated. His hands and legs can't stop moving because he's in the fight or flight mode. He keeps touching his forehead because he's developing a headache from the lack of sleep because of the energy. Plus his tie is gone which means he's feeling stifled. You're going to have to give him some air if you expect any good answers out of him."

"Are you sure he's not faking?" Jane asked, "He's a con artist it's his job to fool us for a living."

"Some symptoms you just can't fake, Jane," Maura replied with a smile, "That constant tapping is one of them."

"How is that even-?"

"His tapping is the exact same frequency," she explained, "When you make a conscious decision to tap your foot it usually slows or speeds up depending on your purpose and why you are tapping. He touches his forehead at a different pace to his leg. His hands can't stop shaking and he's tried. You keep thinking he's suffering from withdrawal. He's not, it's panic."

"Alright," Jane agreed, "I'm going to give him his coffee. Are you staying?"

"I've got some bugs to investigate," Maura winked towards her friend. Then she left the room without so much as a simple good-bye.

%

"Here's your coffee," Rizzoli said handing over the warm cup and observing the one she was interviewing.

Nate's left leg was indeed bouncing up and down at different moments in time. His hands were shaking even while they were glued firmly to the cup. His chest was heaving as if he hadn't a breath in years. There was sweat pouring from his brow. He was down to his third button being undone. He was having a panic attack alright.

"You need to come with me for a walk," Jane explained.

Nate just smiled at her and nodded. He rose to his feet and fell right back down. He took a long drink of the coffee and started breathing slowly. Jane helped him to his feet and they walked out the door without further problems.

"Was I really that obvious?" Nate questioned softly.

They were now outside where clean air was readily available. The criminal mastermind even gained a little bit of color in his cheeks. He looked like he was actually able to breathe.

"Yeah," Jane laughed, "but I wouldn't have noticed if Maura hadn't pointed it out to me."

"It's been a while since I've been in a hospital for a long period of time," he said.

"Is that what happened when you found out about your son?"

Nate's blue eyes grew wide at the question. His head began to spin at the chaos of the thoughts in his head. He rushed towards a chair and quickly put his head between his legs. Thoughts of Sam's death were beginning to mix with Sophie's current situation. He had to get rid of them if he was going to be any use to the team. He just needed to take a deep breath and think about Sophie's recovery.

"I need to ask you a few questions about the job you were working on," Jane said.

"Ask away," Nate replied with a fake smile trying to form on his cheeks.

Jane studied him for a few moments. He wasn't shaking as badly as before. His skin wasn't dripping as much sweat. His leg wasn't bouncing all over the place. He just looked tired now. That was it. He just looked too tired to do anything more than answer whatever she asked. He was acting like a true member of a victim's family.

"Do you think he had the resources to order a hit?"

Nate laughed at that. It was hollow and morbid but it was a laugh, a crazy laugh. At least his blue eyes seemed to be a little less clouded over. He looked like he was trying to come back to the land of the living.

"Our mark won't know what hit him until tomorrow. Plus he was too attached to Sophie to actually try to kill her. He was the type of guy who took what he wanted when things got out of hand."

"I'm guessing because he's alive that he didn't then," Jane nodded. "Can you think of anything or anyone else who might have a beef with her?"

"It's a very long list," he replied, "I don't even have all of the suspects and I know her best."

Well, this case just gets more and more interesting by the minute, she thought wryly. But she refused to give voice to her fears. This case was starting to turn to territory she didn't want. The list or perps was much too long and the victim was barely even alive enough to give them hope of a breakthrough. The easiest explanation was the only one they had and the worst.

"Could it have been an inside job?" She asked, regretting every word as it flew out of her mouth.

"No," Nate growled, jumping to his feet and looking even more alive and outraged than when this whole thing began. "There is no way in Hell my team would ever betray each other! Don't you dare suggest it."

"Lack of evidence points towards Spencer," Jane replied, calm as ever, "Plus he was here first and made the call to us! Parker keeps disappearing so we can't interview her to see if it's the trauma or a guilty conscience. Hardison is next on my list of people to interview and seems even less willing to talk than you. And then there's y…"

"Don't you even think about suggesting I did this!" The mastermind howled, already up in her face and ready for a brawl. He looked on the verge of punching her. The fact that she was a girl was probably the only thing keeping him from doing it too, or it was her badge.

"Until I have any evidence to suggest otherwise I have to treat this as an internal affair," Jane explained, "You know how we work, Ford. I can't pretend that you didn't just consider attacking me which proves you have a short temper and you know I'm only doing my job. Just help me out here, alright?"

"I know," Nate said. The criminal mastermind closed his eyes and visibly deflated. He turned pale and collapsed into his chair as if nothing had ever happened. His small outburst seemed to have wiped him of all energy when he made it. "I can't give you much but I can tell you that you won't find any evidence if the person is a professional."

"Thank you," she said, feeling relief cloud over her once again. "That actually does help. But if it's a professional we still can't rule out your team."

"But you can deduct that it wasn't a random event and that we were targeted," he sighed, "Which means we will have to determine if Sophie was the only target or if the others are in trouble as well."

"Aren't you worried they'd be after you too?" Jane asked, staring at him with concern.

"They stabbed Sophie," he replied staring up at her with grin that held nothing but pure pain and despair.

"They already got me."

%

Maura walked into her laboratory and stared at the mess on her table. Well, mess was probably putting it a little harshly. There was a box of bagged bugs and a box of what could only be classified as other. The box of bugs; expected. The box of other however was a surprise that needed an investigation.

Thankfully Frost decided to use that moment to pop into the room with another box, this one with highly stylish and sophisticated clothes. He took note of the doctor's confused features and made a proper deduction of his own.

"The hospital released the fluids found at the crime scene into your capable hands, Doc." He said, "And they even gave us full access to the outfit she was wearing when she was brutally stabbed."

Maura peered into the stylish box and frowned. "It's a dress and high heels," she said.

"And it gets weirder," Frost smiled, "There's no underwear."

"She wasn't wearing a bra or panties?" Isles questioned in confusion. Then she dug a stick into the box of evidence and drew out a lacy black bra. "Then who does this belong to?"

Frost developed a weird look on his face. It was the one he typically wore when he was uncomfortable about the current topic up for discussion. He just coughed into his hand and forced the smile back onto his features.

"I think she was meeting somebody special, Doc," he replied.

Maura looked into the box again and quickly got the message. "Oh right," she said, smiling along with him. "She must have been getting ready for a date."

Frost smiled back at the doctor and kindly pulled the door closed behind him. Maura turned to the boxes and started sorting through the clothes to see if there was anything the hospital doctors might have missed. They were frequently forced to work several hours overtime and couldn't exactly be expected to do everything perfectly every time. That was just impossible.

Maura paused as a quick and horrid thought popped into her mind.

"She wasn't meeting her boyfriend that night."

Maura blinked and turned towards the door. Sure enough, Frost was standing there with the same puzzled expression on his features. They had both thought and concluded the same thing at the exact same time. Maybe they were finally starting to rub off on each other.

"How did you figure it out?" They asked each other, once again synonymous with their words and thoughts.

"Ford took too long to get to the hospital for him to already be in travel," Frost replied, "What about you?"

"The same," she said, "Plus I calculated the amount of time it took him to hear about it over coms instead of via cellphone and realized even then it would have taken him a shorter time to get to his destination. Did he take a separate car than the others?"

"I don't know," Frost replied, "I was thinking about that when he got there. I know he, Hardison and Parker all arrived at the exact same moment but I didn't think to check the cars. Usually that doesn't matter but if he wasn't driving a separate car…"

"Then why was Ms. Devereaux so dressed up for company?" Maura finished, nodding slightly at the thoughts running through her mind.

"I'm going to go tell Rizzoli," Frost decided immediately, "You're going to need all the help you can get."

"Get the plate numbers too," Maura called after his disappearing back, "Jane's going to want to know where every single member of the team was before it happened."

Frost was completely out of sight when the doctor returned to her evidence boxes. She screwed up her face to pucker her lips as she considered the next step in her phase of the investigation. She nodded her head with a firm shake and set to work examining the clothing and fluids. She would have to make certain all unidentifiable sources were looked at thoroughly before she could conclude her hypothesis' validity. Who the fluids belonged to and the results the doctors had given her post surgery were going to be key to the investigation.

They were going to determine whether or not the victim was attacked by one of her own.

%

"Is Sophie going to die?"

Eliot jumped at the thief's entrance. He was barely able to contain the shudder at the innocent way she asked the question. Of course the childish pout to her lips and the pleading puppy look in her eyes definitely wasn't helping. She looked so young sitting there on that hospital chair waiting for permission to see the grifter.

Eliot smiled his best smiled and did the first thing he was trained to do in situations like this. He lied.

"Of course not," he said, lowering to his knee ever so gently. "This is Sophie we're talking about. You know she isn't going to die. She wouldn't leave us even if she wanted to. She's stuck to us like glue."

"But Nate keeps shaking and acting like he did when we first became a team," Parker said scrunching up her nose in confusion of the whole thing, "He did that because Sam died. Doesn't that mean she's going to die?"

"Nate's just scared, darling," the hitter replied sitting next to her and scooping her into a hug. "That doesn't mean that Sophie's going to die. It just means Nate is nothing but a big worry-wart."

"He's got Hardison tapping into Dr. Isles' phone so we can keep track of the investigation," she explained, "Hardison refuses to leave Lucille Three and I'm not allowed to bother him anymore. He kicked me out and told me to talk to Sophie and try and get her to wake up."

The hitter nodded at that. Of course the hacker would do everything possible to avoid the giant elephant in the room. Only he would use Nate's eagerness to believe in the grifter's will power as a proper distraction and invitation to check out things on the police spectrum. Nobody could just leave well enough alone.

"But she's not going to wake up," she finished, "is she?"

Eliot jumped at the accusation and fear in the thief's voice. He took a moment to stare at her, really observe everything she was trying to convey. Then he realized just how bad everything was. She was crying, tears were falling from her eyes and she was sniffling ever so softly. She even tried to clean her nose with her sleeve she was in such disrepair.

"Hey," Eliot said, cupping her chin and forcing her to look him straight in the eye. "It's Sophie. You know we have to throw everything out the window when it comes to her. Look at Chaos' bomb, she didn't have a chance and she got out of that without a scratch."

"Nate didn't," Parker giggled smiling a hesitant smile, "He had to wear make-up because of it."

"And it was all because you thought of disabling it with a box of pudding," Eliot nodded, "What makes you think you can't do the same now? If anybody can get that woman to wake up it's you!"

Parker smiled wider this time. It was her first genuine smile since their tiny tragedy and it made all the difference. Her blue-grey eyes were shining with joy and mischief and she looked almost normal. She hopped to her feet and raced towards the grifter's room. Her shoulders were set and ready. She was on a mission and nothing was going to stop her.

"Good thinking."

Eliot turned towards the source of the voice and stared at the icy blue eyes. They were smiling and Nate didn't look as haggard as he had before. He was even leaning against the wall in a casual sort of way. He looked like he actually believed the hitter's words as much as the thief.

"If we can't wake her up," Nate finished sitting as he spoke, "Parker will annoy her out of the comma."

"I think it's medicated though," Eliot shrugged, "she's in so much pain right now that that would be the best choice."

"I don't think it's the pain or the drugs," Nate shrugged, "I think she's fighting for us. I also think her body is doing its best to obey her every whim but they're at odds. She's probably spending too much time worrying about the rest of us to even consider everything else. She needs to focus on her own recovery and can't."

"So you think whoever did this is after all of us," Eliot guessed trying to figure out where he was going.

"No, but we were definitely how he got to her," Nate said. Then he looked at the hitter with assessing eyes. He combed his fingers through his hair and heaved a heavy sigh. "How are you doing with all of this?"

Eliot stared at him for a few moments considering his words. He could tell him the truth and get this whole thing over with but that would only end badly. No, he was going to have to pretend everything was normal and not admit to anything.

"Fine," he said.

"You're not fine," Nate hissed rolling his eyes at the brave façade, "None of us are fine. You should know better than to lie to me. It's not your fault by the way."

"Where's Rizzoli?" Eliot asked, avoiding the statement as usual.

"Frost said that Isles needed her to discuss the case," Nate shrugged, "Hardison's bugged her phone so he will fill us in once everything is good and ready."

"Anything interesting?"

"Nothing."

"We'll get this guy, Nate," Eliot promised. He stood to his feet and stared the man directly in the eye. Then he placed his hand on the man's arm and gave it a gentle pat. "You know we will."

Nate just smiled wryly at him. He pulled away and scowled at the younger man. Then his blue eyes gravitated towards the room of their despair. He stood to his full height and turned a steady glare towards his hitter and friend.

"Let's just hope we get Sophie first."

%

Jane burst through the doors at top speed and glared at her best friend. She waved her arms in the air and demanded an explanation.

"Why am I here?" She asked.

"The doctors sent me some strange fluids to test and one of them could possibly be our murderer," Maura replied, smiling bright with excitement.

"How?" Jane asked.

"Well," Maura began, "the doctors followed the usual procedure in the case of a stabbing and searched Ms. Devereaux for signs of rape."

"And?" Jane pressed.

"No signs of rape but there are signs of use in that particular area," Maura smiled wider, "and a condom was most definitely used."

"How is that a good thing?"

"Because somebody else didn't use a condom," Maura replied, "and if my hypothesis is correct than this may prove that Sophie Devereaux was not exclusively seeing Nathan Ford."

"You think she was cheating?" Jane gasped racing towards the weird looking fluids with interest now.

"And this fluid may match the guy who did this to her," Maura nodded.

"Well run the test and let's see who we get," Jane ordered, wriggling her arms towards the testing machine.

"It's going to take a few hours, Jane," Maura rolled her eyes at her friend, "We're not going to get the results like we want but I did find some fluid the doctors forgot on her dress. I'm going to use that as a confirmation to the fluids found in that area and go from there."

"Don't you think you're being a little cautious?" Jane asked.

"Considering the circumstances I'm positive that caution is going to be necessary," Maura replied, "There are so many enemies lined up to take their pick that we can't take the chance. I'm going to run these fluids and take note of the results. The rest is just back-up in case something happens. They need me to be one hundred percent."

"Okay," Jane nodded, "run the test and we'll go over the bugs while we wait."


	6. Results and Questions

**A/N:** _I'm honestly trying to finish this puppy up before Christmas. I've got finals next week and several projects to finish up_._ Gibbsrossi I promise you that I am working on your story. I just want to get more of it done before I post it. I have the beginning and most of the end. I want to get a good chunk of the middle established before I post. I don't want a repeat of three stories at once. My goal is to get it posted for you by Christmas Eve. So until then, everybody enjoy!_**  
**

**Twelve Hours Before the Incident…**

Nate stormed into the apartment with ravenous eyes. He wore a scowl upon his features, his eyes narrowed. He shoved past the grifter and immediately reached for the heavy liquor.

"Nate?" Sophie began.

The mastermind held up his hand in protest. He quickly polished off a glass and gulped down another. Then he breathed out a heavy sigh, staring at the grifter with such defeat.

"We're a team," he said, "And as such I have the right to tell you I don't want to hear it. I want the truth from you and nothing else, understand?"

The grifter looked at him in confusion and opened her mouth to speak. She was interrupted.

"Nod if you understand because I don't want to hear your voice. Just let me know now if this is going to be a waste."

She nodded.

"Good," he said, throwing his glass into the sink and not caring about the way it shattered there. "Glad you understand. Because this is where our pleasant conversation ends. I know what you're doing and I can't even begin to describe how upset I am right now!"

Sophie opened her mouth again and was once again met with a hand held high.

"Don't!" he said, "Just don't. I can't take any lies out of your mouth. Did… Did you honestly expect me not to figure it out? Did you really think you could get away with it? What were you thinking?"

The grifter stared at the mastermind, her answer nothing more than silence.

"Answer me!"

"I don't know what you're talking about which is what I've been trying to ask during your little tirade. By the way, I honestly don't see why I have to answer you at all if you keep begging me for silence!"

"Last night you drugged me," he growled, "Now tell me why."

"I didn't-"

"I want the truth Sophie!" He interrupted. His scowl was deeper and his hair looked wild.

Sophie's angry frown immediately disappeared at that statement. Her face actually turned white and her eyes contracted into fearful slits. She lowered her face so she wouldn't have to look him in the eyes.

"I can't give you the truth," she replied.

Nate bowed his head at the grifter's answer. He started shaking and laughing in crazy mirth. Sophie raised her head and frowned at his reaction. Then he picked up the bottle of liquor and threw it towards her head. She jumped out of the way of course. Then her face contorted into a fury matching his.

"How dare you-" she screamed.

The mastermind was in front of her in seconds. His hands were on her shoulders, ready to shake. But he didn't shake he just squeezed her arms tightly holding on for dear life. There was such desperation in his eyes that the grifter didn't even have the heart to yell at him anymore. The desperate pain and confusion was her undoing. She was on the verge of tears when she had no right to be.

"I want to tell you," she whispered.

"Why can't you?"

"I can't," she shook her head and shrugged. "I just can't."

"You would if you could?" He asked, staring at her with fear now.

He looked like he was going to take her at her word. He had never done that before. Usually, he had to be persuaded to even consider she was telling the truth. Now, he was looking at her as if she was the answer to everything. He actually looked like he believed her. He was desperate enough to ask but he had enough faith to believe.

"I wouldn't drug you if-" she began, her voice failing her. Tears were threatening to choke her. The façade was too much now. She was about to crack and she couldn't do that. Everything she loved most was at risk. "Please, go."

Nate pulled her into his embrace. He squeezed her tight to his chest and buried his face in her hair. He placed gentle kisses on her scalp and her tears flowed. She was shaking at the way he trusted her even after such a deception. He was going to be the death of her most certainly now.

His lips were on hers in seconds. Her tears swallowed in his need. His hand was exploring behind her and she didn't know what to do. She was stuck and he was in need of proof of a different kind. He needed to know she was faithful and she couldn't give him that. So, she pushed him away.

"Please go," she whimpered.

He stared at her in betrayal. His breathing started to hurry then it just suddenly slowed. He nodded his head and headed straight for the door. His hand hit the handle and the door opened. The door slammed shut and he turned around with furious eyes. He was in front of her again in seconds, his angry gaze glued to her face. His hands shot up and she flinched away. The pain in his eyes at the action hurt almost as much as his words.

"I wish you could trust me like I trust you; blindly."

Her brown-black eyes grew wide at the admission. She grabbed onto his shirt and pulled him close unconsciously. Then she stared at her betrayer hands and tried to comprehend what was happening. She was gripping him in desperate fear and she couldn't understand. She was quaking while holding him, afraid to lose him.

"I trust you," she whispered.

Her lips connected with his in the most honest kiss she could come up with. Then she pulled away and stared him directly in the eyes.

"I'm sorry."

**Present…**

"Hey Sophie," Parker called. She jumped into the chair and calmly stared at the grifter with expectation on her features. That expectant glow soon turned to an upset scowl though.

The grifter still refused to change her condition. She was just lying there still and mechanically noisy. She wasn't even breathing for herself. The machine just pumped air in and out of her lungs like it had a right to. I.V.'s were pouring fluids into her body and still seemed to make no impact. Her heart rate was still beating slower than what it was supposed to, probably because of the stupid machines and the ridiculous drugs pumping through her veins.

The thief leaned forward slowly. Her fingers were just itching to release the grifter from her wretched bindings. Her right hand was even hovering over the morphine pump ready, waiting to stop the connection and bring the grifter back.

"Parker, Sophie needs the morphine right now. Please, don't take it off."

The thief flinched at the reprimand. She turned her big, blue-grey eyes towards the mastermind and stuck out her bottom lip in a helpless pout. She huffed the biggest sigh her body could make. Then she brought her tiny knees underneath her chin and stared at the grifter sadly.

"They're keeping her trapped," she said, "She shouldn't be trapped."

"Not trapped," Nate corrected. He gently placed a calming hand on the thief's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "The morphine is keeping her pain contained."

"They're keeping her from breathing," the thief growled in an absolutely perfect impersonation of Eliot Spencer.

"Her lungs can't breathe on their own," Nate explained, "The machine is helping them until she's healed enough to do so alone."

"It isn't fair," she declared. She turned to the mastermind with a fierce gaze and firmness in her voice. "Sophie is supposed to be fine when the con is done."

Nate sighed and touched his forehead. He opened his mouth to say something, anything. His mouth shut and his head shook with the impossibility of helping the thief's fears. Sophie was the one who helped Parker comprehend the world. How was he supposed to make up for that?

"She's not going to leave us, is she?" Parker asked, staring at him with her big puppy eyes and hope fighting to appear on her face.

Nate shook his head at the thought. His face contorted into his unhappy angry face and looked like he wanted to throw something. Then his blue eyes fell on Sophie and the fight immediately drained away. He stared at her for a few minutes watching the machine pump air through her body. He quickly moved towards her and planted a kiss on the top of her head.

"Keep sleeping, Soph," he ordered. There was something funny in his voice. It sounded like two diamonds grinding together. His head even hung low for a few seconds before he was able to continue. "You need to get your strength up for tomorrow."

"What's going to happen tomorrow?" Parker asked out of pure curiosity.

Nate looked at her with a weird fog in his eyes. His lips almost quirked upwards in a smile and he actually looked on the verge of a laugh. Then his hand suddenly plopped onto the thief's head and gave a weird ruffle.

"We're going to convince her to wake up," he whispered heading towards the door as he spoke.

The thief stopped him at the door with one question. "How are we going to do that?"

Nate swallowed and looked towards the grifter. There was something in his eyes, something dark dimming them considerably every time he stared at her. His blue eyes turned back to the thief and he spoke. "We're going to con her into it."

The thief smiled and nodded at that. Then she wiggled around in her seat to make herself more comfortable while she kept vigil. She counted out the grifter's breaths while pretending she wasn't watching the mastermind twist the doorknob.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

The mastermind made no movement at her question. He just stood there motionless with his hand already twisted to the door. A long sigh escaped his lips and the thief could hear his thoughts developing and forming.

"I'm going for a walk," he said, "I can't... I just can't-"

"You can't stay," the thief nodded in perfect understanding, "because of Sam."

"Yes Parker," he agreed, "because of Sam."

"Will you be back?"

Parker kept her eyes glued solely on the grifter as she waited for the answer to her question. She could see the mastermind's every move out of her peripherals and knew the exact moment when his body started to sag into the door. She knew when he released the knob and it snapped back in place. Then she couldn't see him anymore because of some tears clouding her eyes. That was weird.

Nate's hands were on her face in seconds, spinning her to meet him eye for eye. He rubbed his thumb against her cheeks just like he would for Sophie when she was upset, if she ever got upset. Then he forced a smile to appear on his lips and moved a little closer to her.

"You listen to me, Parker," he said, "There is nothing on this Earth that is ever going to make me leave that woman or any of you. Do you understand?"

Parker nodded her head and felt a few more tears collapse into the mastermind's big hands.

"I am never going to leave you," he promised, "I learned my lesson last time. Never again."

"Never again," Parker repeated sniffling back her emotions and trying to get her head back in gear.

Nate nodded at her acceptance and cast another sad look the grifter's way. His face grew angry again and he stormed out of the room at top speed. The door slammed behind him and the thief was left alone with her thoughts.

So there she sat thinking. She thought about everything that happened before the grifter's stabbing. They were doing so well. She even got to jump from rooftop to rooftop until she got to a high enough building to jump off. Everybody was having fun. Eliot even got to hit fifteen people before the job was done. Then the con finished and they still ended up going to the hospital.

"Could you wake up for me, Sophie?" Parker questioned softly, "I know it's hard and everything but we really need you to wake up. Eliot's being really quiet and Hardison won't leave his computer."

The thief waited to see if that had any impact. The machine just sighed air into the grifter's lungs and refused to give an answer. She was dead to the world. NO, not dead just completely unaware, the thief reminded herself angrily.

"Nate's coming back," she said, "for you. He's only ever done that for Sam. You know what that means. He needs you. We all do."

%

Nate very carefully opened the door to Lucille so he could enter. He paused before that entrance though.

The hacker was busy clicking away. There were empty orange soda bottles everywhere. Three empty two liters were sitting on the desk while a third was already half-way gone. Images were flashing across the screen every few seconds. A video of Sophie's condition was on a monitor all its own in the lower right hand corner of the desk. Parker was currently chattering away about all of the things she and the grifter would do when their visit was over.

"Hardison," Nate whispered into the hacker's ear, "Sophie was working on a little side project. I don't know the details and I don't know why. Check out all of our former clients and marks and see if you can pinpoint which one of them had the means to get this whole thing together."

"You think someone was targeting her specifically?" Hardison asked.

"I think it has something to do with it," Nate nodded.

"I'm running facial recognition right now," the hacker explained, pointing to the flashing images as he went. "I'll know if anybody looking for Soph came here. Plus I've got a bug in the doctor's phone and G.P.S. so I can set up more when they're not there. I also have wireless access so I'm in all of their computers. Would you like to listen to the evidence they have for our beloved grifter's case?"

"No," Nate shook his head and politely clapped the hacker on the back. "You did well, Hardison. You keep doing it. Just… be sure to get some sleep too. Sophie's going to kill me when she finds out I let you look into her case."

"Let's not give her too much ammo," Hardison agreed.

An awkward silence developed between the pair. So much needed and wanted to be said but they still couldn't quite get the words formed. Two men who didn't like sharing emotions, silence was their only ally.

"So how are you…?" Nate coughed as he spoke, "How are you doing?"

"I'll be fine," Hardison replied typing a bit more frantically than he had been a few moments ago. "It's Sophie. She'll be fine. If she can put up with you on a regular basis then I know she can deal with a simple stabbing to the lower chest cavity causing massive internal bleeding and a completely deflation of both lungs, liver damage and slight leakage of her intestines and stomach."

Nate paled at the list of injuries. He should have realized the hacker would immediately do his research. The kid was a genius and they constantly forgot that. Of course, Sophie was the one who tried to give him credit when it was do but she didn't understand. They both lived in two completely different worlds; people and computers, so similar and yet so far apart. Hardison was a willing pupil and Sophie the frustrated teacher trying to pull him back before it was too late.

"You've got her complete medical detail?" the mastermind finally asked.

"Yeah," Hardison nodded, "That way if somebody pulls a fast one on my software I will be able to detect any slight alteration to her medical chart and correct the error immediately. I won't screw up again."

So that was the reason behind the diligent work.

"You didn't screw up the first time," Nate said. He knew the hacker did everything in his power to protect them all. Some things were just out of his hands.

"My monitors didn't go off when things could have made a difference," Hardison lamented. He was refusing to make eye-contact now and his typing had quadrupled its pace.

"The guy responsible was a professional who beat Eliot to the punch," Nate tried again, "obviously he did his research and figured out we have the best hacker in the world on our side. You did your job, he just did it better. Now you're going to catch him and show him exactly how good you are. We all are."

"Yeah," Hardison nodded. He stopped typing and sniffled a bit at the pep talk. He was giving himself and his machines time to rest if only for a moment. That was a very good thing.

"I'll see you later, Hardison," Nate smiled, another job well done.

"Where are you going?" the hacker asked.

"I've got one more team member to talk down," he replied.

%

"Then we're going to go base jumping off of that building in Dubai again because that was super fun," Parker explained excitedly. "But if you wake up right this minute I'll totally allow you to drag me through every shop in Paris and put clothes on me."

The thief waited a beat to see if her bait was enough to wake the grifter. She frowned a bit that it wasn't. Then she shrugged and moved on.

"Okay," she said, "So it's obviously going to take a little bit more than dragging me through Paris. How about if I agree to go shoe shopping with you? Will that work? For a month?"

Before the thief could even hope for a response movement caught her eye. The police officers outside the door were coming her way. They were the absolute last people she wanted to talk to so she did what any sensible thief would do. She went up and hid in the air vents to wait for them to go away.

The thief watched as Korsak and two others walked into the room. Korsak looked right, left, up and down in search of the thief. The other officers weren't quite as thorough but they were new so they could be forgiven for that. Then Korsak placed his hands on his hips and spoke.

"Well I guess she's not ready for questioning yet," he said, "We'll just have to catch her when she's ready. Alright. Jane doesn't think she did it anyway and judging by the way she keeps hiding in here I agree. Come on boys! Let Mr. Spencer through. Maybe he can get the girl to talk to us for a bit."

Korsak left and Eliot entered. Parker smiled at that. She could always jump down and surprise Eliot. It always amused her how frustrated he would get because he almost through something at her. He was so funny. Just as she found the perfect spot to hop into the hitter took a seat.

"Hey Soph," he said, "I know Parker was talkin' to ya before but she's gone right now. If I know her she's on her way to Lucille to see what kind of help she could give to Hardison."

Parker took a moment to think over the hitter's words. He had a point. She was originally going to do that but she felt she was making great progress with the grifter. Every time she said something funny the heart monitor would speed up in rhythm by a whole microsecond. She knew because she was counting.

"There's somethin' very important I need to tell ya, Soph," the hitter continued.

He suddenly looked everywhere around him to make certain he was alone. Then he quickly checked his pocket to make certain his earbud was in it. He stood to his full height and leaned down to the grifter's ear. He was talking so quietly that the thief had to almost fall out of the ceiling just to hear the words he said next.

"I'm sorry about this whole mess," he said, "but I had to do it. Nate wasn't gonna let ya go… I had to improvise. You know how much I love this team, this weird family. You know how much I… Listen, Soph. I'm only gonna say this once so don't ya dare laugh at me for it. But I- I love ya."

Then he placed a soft kiss on the grifter's forehead and wiped away at some tears. The thief frowned at the action and quickly shook her head. That wasn't exactly unusual for Eliot. He was a softy and all. Of course, he did something unexpected immediately after. He placed his lips right on top of the grifter's the exact same way Nate did. That made Parker gasp.

%

Jane walked into the coroner's office with arms high in the air. She looked only slightly annoyed but mostly hopeful. She was fiddling with her wallet while she was at it.

"Why am I here, Maura?" she asked. "Frost and I have been spending all day sorting through those stupid bugs and trying to decide which ones to listen to. Korsak can't find Parker anywhere. My mother keeps calling me and demanding to know why we have yet to stop by for coffee for lunch at our usual time of eleven thirty."

"It's eleven forty-five, Jane," Maura added helpfully.

Jane growled. "And apparently I'm late for my interview with Alec Hardison," she said, "Please tell me you have something worthwhile to this investigation."

"The test results from the fluids the doctors found have just come back," Isles explained, "And you're not going to like it."

Jane's pleading face immediately returned to that of a Boston detective. She raced towards the evidence table with anticipation and fear in her every step. Her business face was firmly on and she was ready for whatever came next.

"Whose are they?" she asked.

"Eliot Spencer's," the doctor replied.


	7. Revealing Secrets

**A/N:**_Hey guys, sorry it's taken me so long to post things. It's_ _finals week at school and I've been busy with final projects and stuff. Gibbsrossi, my plan is to post your story either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. My goal is to post all of it but I'm not going to make any promises. Everybody enjoy the rest of this story guys! We're almost to the wrap-up._

**Six Hours Before the Incident…**

Sophie was busy pacing up and down the hallway. Her hair was a frazzled mess and she was attacking her nails like she hadn't eaten in days. Her skin was paler than normal, making her look frail and sickly. She had dark circles under her eyes. Well, the make-up hid it but they were there. She also looked as though she had lost weight.

Eliot took note of all of this and took a deep breath in frustration. He was afraid of this. He had always known her worrying would one day be the death of her but this was just ridiculous. He took a deep breath and heaved a long sigh.

"Are ya gonna tell me what's botherin' ya or do ya want me to guess?" He asked cringing at the strength of his accent so early in the afternoon.

Sophie jumped at the sound of his voice. Her big brown eyes fell on him with such hopelessness and despair. The hitter knew immediately what was going to come out of her lips next.

"He knows," she said.

Eliot closed his eyes in frustration of the statement. Anger and fear were clawing their way up his throat but he held them at bay as usual. There was no need to ask who the grifter was talking about. Lately it had always been the same stubborn bastard plaguing her thoughts. He was always too close for her comfort and it was finally coming back to bite them.

"How certain are you?" He asked.

Sophie shrugged and started attacking her nails again. It was a nervous habit she had gained from Parker over the years. Something she only ever put in use when she was surrounded by their team and able to be herself. She only did it when she was extremely on edge.

"He's not as accurate as he thinks but he's still pretty close," she explained, "He actually came here this morning to question me about it. He knows I drugged him but he doesn't know why."

"Then we're still in the clear," Eliot grinned. That was close. He actually thought he was going to have to enact the plan now instead of further down the road. Time was on their side. That was good. It was a blessing.

"I think it's killing him," Sophie whimpered.

The hitter looked towards the grifter and finally took notice of just how much disrepair she was in. Her brown eyes were speckled with red lines. Her hair lacked its usual luster. Wrinkles were suddenly popping up out of nowhere on her face. She looked on the verge of collapse to boot. She wasn't going to make it much longer if she had to do this.

"Come here," he ordered.

The grifter obeyed immediately. She curled into his chest and started breathing into it. She was trying to keep calm and not break. He could tell simply by the way she was shaking that it wasn't working. So he wrapped his arms around her and gave her the biggest hug he could come up with.

"We'll tell him tomorrow," he promised planting a kiss to the top of her head to show he meant business. "I promise you that you won't have to worry about him anymore."

"How are we going to tell him?" She asked. Her voice was soft and tingled with fear. Even her body went rigid in preparation for the battle that was about to take place.

"We'll discuss that later," he said, "Right now you have to get ready for the final touches of the con. I'll be right here waiting for you when it's over. Then we'll decide how to break the news."

"He's going to be really mad," she said.

_Oh, you have no idea_, Eliot thought. He held the grifter tighter to his chest and closed his eyes again. He hoped to extend the inevitable for another couple of weeks. Now all he could do was picture the look of betrayal in the mastermind's eyes. If he was lucky there would be a fight. If not, Sophie wasn't going to be the only one crushed in all of this. Of course, if everything went according to plan… she still wouldn't.

**Present…**

Footsteps announced that somebody else was about to enter the grifter's room. The hitter immediately composed himself and made it look as though nothing unusual had happened. He pulled up a chair and waited for the footsteps to enter. Nathan Ford entered the room just as the hitter sat down.

The mastermind paused in his actions as his eyes fell on the unconscious grifter. His breath hitched and the color in his cheeks disappeared. Shadows of his past even covered into his bright blue eyes, darkening them with their vicious images. He swallowed back his emotions and turned his gaze on the hitter.

"How is she?" He asked.

"Still unmoving," Eliot replied, "but I think Parker is making an improvement. She didn't leave the moment she heard Korsak's footsteps. She waited until he was in the same hallway before disappearing."

"She was probably too absorbed in her conversation with Sophie," Nate smiled. "How are you doing with everything that's going on?"

"I'll be fine," Eliot replied, "I told you that already."

"I meant with the questioning," Nate rolled his eyes, "What do you think of what's going on?"

"They have no choice but to suspect each and every one of us," he said, "Until evidence tells them otherwise they're just going to keep thinking we did it. And you're the number one suspect."

"Why?" Nate asked. There was a touch of anger in his voice at that information. He even looked like he wanted to punch the hitter for the statement.

"Because you're the boyfriend," Eliot replied, "The boyfriend is always the first suspect on any list. Jealousy is usually the motive by the way."

"Do I have anybody to be jealous of, Eliot?" Nate growled.

"No, Nate," the hitter told him with a slight smirk to his lips. "You have nothing to fear."

%

"Eliot Spencer?" Jane questioned.

She was staring at the test results herself and still couldn't believe it. It was just not possible. The hitter was sleeping with the grifter right under everybody's noses. That seemed too impossible. How were they even able to keep their relationship a secret for so long without attracting any unwanted attention? Something wasn't right.

"I know what you mean," Maura agreed, "I was surprised too. I'm going to work on more tests to make certain but that is a pretty good match."

"Can you do the tests without a computer?" Jane asked.

"Yes but that's going to take longer," Maura nodded, "at least two days to get a ninety percent positive."

"That's fine," Jane said, "I just want to be sure before we do anything else."

"At least now we know where to start listening on the bugs," Maura added.

"Yeah," Rizzoli nodded, "Frost and I are going to get right on it. I'll call you when we need you to verify everything. Thanks."

%

Hardison stared at his computer screen in complete and utter awe. He started clacking away at his keyboard in hopes that maybe there was some sort of mistake. After a few minutes of useless typing he resigned himself to the truth.

"Nothing!" He groaned throwing a helpless bottle of orange soda in frustration. "I've searched through every single database known to man and beyond and still came up empty-handed. How is that even possible?"

"Is there a problem, Hardison?" Nate asked.

The hacker jumped at the older man's voice. He had forgotten his com was still in. Of course he had also not realized he said his last tirade out loud. And an innocent bottle of soda paid the price for his stupid actions.

"I've come up empty on facial recognition," he groaned, "Whoever did this to Sophie did it without being seen by any cameras in Boston, Portland and every airport within a twenty-five mile radius."

"Then expand your radius and see if that comes up with anything," the hitter suggested boldly.

"I've already thought of that, Eliot," Hardison replied as sarcastically as possible. "But there are less cameras and a bigger chance of the guy avoiding them. Whoever did this is skilled, man. Hell I'd go as far as to say he's as good as or better than Eliot. And ya'll know what I mean when I say that."

"Nobody's better than me, Hardison," Eliot grumbled.

"Then you did it," the hacker said, "because I can't find him on the internet."

"Hardison, why don't you rest up for a few minutes and then work on getting yourself cleaned up?" Nate suggested softly, "Detective Rizzoli sent me a text that she won't be able to meet you for an interview until three thirty now. Think that will give you enough time to hide your software?"

"Plenty," Hardison agreed, "but I can't sleep. No, I think I'm just going to check out what they've got so far and work my way from there."

"Try to find Parker while you're at it," Eliot said, "The last thing we need is for that thief to rob a bank. We've already got a pretty tight deadline as it is."

"Will do," Hardison saluted. Then he went back to typing sporadically on his computer. It didn't matter what the hitter said. He was going to find Sophie's attacker if it was the last thing he did. Nobody attacked his family and got away with it. No, he was going to just pop in on the detectives and see what they were up to. That way he would be able to figure out where he hadn't been looking.

His video feed into their systems popped up with a simple click of his mouse. The doctor was busy working on analyzing evidence. Rizzoli and Frost were both on their computers listening to different voice recordings. That seemed like a good place to start.

The hacker shrugged his shoulders and quickly turned off his com line. The others didn't need to hear what he was about to listen to. He looked at the bug dated a day before the whole mess happened and clicked.

%

Jane glared at the many choices of voice files. They had three days of files and not a single idea of where to start. She had already made it through ninety minutes of the stuff and that was mostly boring shop talk. It didn't even make sense half the stuff they discussed.

What does an apple pie have to do with a con? She thought grumpily.

It was already one fifteen and she had to be back at the hospital by three in order to begin her interrogation of Alec Hardison, hacker extraordinaire. She had to listen to at least one more, but which one? Well, she had started with Day One's files first. It couldn't hurt to listen to Day Three's. The detective clicked the one dated six hours before the incident.

"_He's going to be really mad,"_ a female voice said. The accent was British and sounded a bit more Posh than the way Parker was described. This was definitely voice of Sophie Devereaux. It was the only voice that had been on the other two recordings.

"_I know, Soph,"_ Spencer's voice agreed. Well, there was the verification needed as a positive I.D.

The rest of the conversation was pretty much pointless. No words were said but some movement was definitely going on. By the sounds of it, one of them had exited the room while the other was fiddling around in the kitchen. Pots and pans were slamming every which way. A few quiet curses explained that it was indeed the hitter who was in the kitchen. Devereaux had left.

The sounds on the file were pretty quiet. That was the only reason Rizzoli was even able to understand any word Frost said.

"Hey!" He called. He was sitting at his desk wiggling in his chair like he was trying to get her attention. "I found something very important to the case. You need to listen to this."

Jane paused the audio and quickly removed her headphones. She dashed to her partner's desk and prompted him to press play. Instead he stared at her, his head shaking.

"What?" She demanded briskly.

"Get your headphones and plug them in," he ordered simply, "You do not want anybody else to listen to this unless they have to."

"What is it?" Jane growled, "A porno?"

Frost gave her a blank look. He just stared at her until she finally decided to listen. Jane snatched up her headphones and plugged them in. Frost pressed play as soon as she gave the thumbs up sign.

Moaning was the first thing to assault the detective's ears. There were a few grunts and a couple _"oh God's"_ before everything clicked into place. Two people were involved in a very specific exercise. It was disgusting and horrible to be eaves-dropping but Frost said it was crucial to the case. She could not stop the curl of disgust on her nose though.

"_Sophie!"_

Jane's eyes popped open wide at that. She knew that voice. That voice was not the voice she wanted to hear in that kind of situation at all. In fact, she could have gone her whole life without that voice being on that tape. She threw off her headphones and stared at her partner.

"That's-" she began.

"Eliot Spencer," Frost nodded. He was very green and grey around the edges of his features. He even looked like he was doing everything in his power to not throw up at that very moment.

"When was this recorded?" She asked. Her stomach was turning too. This wasn't exactly the first time she had ended up in this situation but this was the first time she felt sick. It was probably because she knew the victim and people involved.

"Day Two," Frost replied, "at ten p.m."

Jane took a few minutes to absorb that knowledge. Something about that seemed odd. Of course, everything about the case was odd. They were thieves and had a lot of enemies. Nothing was conclusive yet. There was still a lot of work to do.

"I want you to listen to every single recording of the day," Jane said finally making a firm decision. "I will listen to Day Three from midnight on."

"What are we going to do about our suspects list?" He asked.

"Right now Eliot Spencer is on the top of that list," she said, "Right after Nathan Ford."

%

"What time is it?" Nate demanded softly. He sounded about half asleep already and it was no wonder. He hadn't left the grifter's side since his walk. He was sitting in a chair and clinging her hand like a lifeline. His eyes were silently counting every single breath the machine made her take and the heart monitor didn't seem to be helping matters.

Of course, Eliot was doing the same thing. Every time the rhythm of beats changed he was on his feet. Then he would have to play it off as if he was flexing his muscles instead of hoping she would wake. The doctors were constantly in and out of the room checking her stats and making noises that translated into forty-two different things. At one point the hitter actually thought she was dead because the nurse sighed deeply.

Nate was slowly descending into madness in that chair. He would start talking to get the grifter back and then would suddenly stop. His eyes would grow dark and dim with shadows of memories flashing across them. Nurses and doctors were constantly ignoring him with nothing more than sad glances cast his way. They thought he was in the dark place because of her. Well, he was.

"Time, Eliot," Nate rasped. There was fury in his eyes and exhaustion on his features. He must have been waiting a while for an answer.

The hitter looked at his watch and answered. "It's three fifteen," he said.

"It's almost time for his interview," Nate replied, "Call him on his cell and let him know."

"You've got it, boss," Eliot agreed. He was already out of his chair and dialing when the mastermind asked him for help. He listened to the dial tone as he walked towards the exit of the hospital.

"He's not answering his phone," Parker explained.

Eliot hung up his phone when it went to voicemail. He turned his attention to the blonde that suddenly appeared at his side. He took note of the disgruntled expression on her features and the confusion in her eyes. She looked more wrecked than she had only five hours ago.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked.

The glare he received was not what was expected. The blonde thief was sending daggers his way and chocking an innocent coffee cup in the process. The black liquid was spilling onto the floor ready to trip somebody up. The hitter stared at her and finally decided to engage in conversation.

"You know," he said, "if you stand there killing that coffee cup long enough the cops will find you and force you to answer their questions."

"I know your secret," she replied.

Eliot's whole body froze at that simple statement. Every muscle pulled tight at the thief's simple statement. His jaw refused to move and his tongue just kept gurgling in his mouth. Speech had finally escaped him and his world was crashing down.

"What do you know?" He finally asked.

"Hardison's late for his interview," Parker said staring at him with disappointment on her features. "You should bring him back before Nate starts to ask questions.

Eliot ran to Lucille as fast as his feet could carry him. It wasn't right. Hardison never missed an appointment unless he had to. He always told people what he was up to when he couldn't make it. There was no way the hitter was going to allow another member of his team to get hurt, not after everything, not now.

The hitter burst into the van and groaned in frustration. Everything in Lucille remained untouched. The images of past conquests were rolling on the screens, orange soda bottles were everywhere. Even the funk was still there. The only thing that was missing; the hacker.

"Hardison's gone," Eliot growled slamming his com into his ear.

%

Jane exited another futile file and finally took note of the time. She was already ten minutes too late. She fumbled for her jacket and quickly went to work getting out of there.

"Keep searching, Frost," she ordered already half-way out the door.

"Jane, wait," Maura called. She was carrying a few cotton swabs, gloves and Ziploc baggies. She was handing them off as if they mattered. "I need you to get some swab samples from Nathan Ford and Eliot Spencer."

"But I thought the test results were positive that it was Spencer," Jane frowned.

"It was but for the paper way I need samples from both men," Isles explained, "Because the results won't be listed in any database. It's real easy. Just ask and you should be fine."

"Okay," Jane nodded, "I'm already late. Can I go now?"

Maura waved her off and the detective was gone. Frost was listening to the audio files of the last twenty-four hours and Alec Hardison was about to be interviewed. If everything went according to plan, of course. Then again, nothing ever went according to plan.

%

Hardison entered the hospital with disgust on his features. Parker's somber expression immediately perked up at the hacker's entrance and she bounced to her feet excitedly. She was about to say something when she noticed the angry scowl on her boyfriend's face. Her semi-happy grin fell at the horrible expression.

"What's wrong?" she asked immediately.

Hardison ignored her which was very unusual for the hacker. He just walked right on past her and headed straight towards the grifter's door. Then the hitter walked into view.

"Hardison," Eliot scowled towards the hacker, "Where the hell have you been? I've been looking all over! Where did you disappear to, man?"

The hacker just ignored the hitter's statement. No, he was trapped in his own little bubble of realization. Then the hitter put his hand on his shoulder and he snapped. The hacker immediately swung around and punched the hitter in the face. He plowed his arm towards him again and again but the first punch was all he got in. Eliot stopped each blow and used the momentum to slam the hacker against the door. The thief just gasped in surprise and outrage.

"Dammit Hardison, what is your problem?" Eliot demanded harshly. He had the hacker pinned against the wall so hard Hardison's face was smashed against it. Both were breathing heavy and the hacker was struggling quite a bit.

"You're my problem," Hardison growled, struggling harder and harder as he went.

"How am I the problem?" Eliot asked.

"Hardison, what's going on?" Parker demanded softly. She didn't like the fact that her hitter had her boyfriend up against the wall.

"He's been screwing Sophie behind Nate's back!" Hardison hissed. Then he managed to twirl around and tried to slam his fist into the guy's face.

"Hardison, stop," Parker begged at the top of her lungs.

Eliot just snapped the hacker's hand into the wall and tried his hardest not to break his arm. He twirled the hacker's other arm behind his back and pinned him against the wall again.

"Just let me explain," he replied to the hacker's growls.

"No," Hardison growled again, still struggling with no success. "You were sleeping with her! It's your fault this happened!"

"Hardison, what are you talking about?" Parker asked in confusion. Her head was twitching between the hacker and the hitter. She had never seen Hardison so angry before and it was surprising.

"He's been screwing Sophie!" Hardison repeated angrily. "He's betrayed Nate and the rest of us. He's the reason this happened to her! They attacked her because of him!"

"Hardison, what are you talking about?" Parker repeated. There was terror in her voice now. Her blue-grey eyes were bouncing back and forth between the two young men of the group. She didn't know what to do or what was going on.

"When did you find out?" Eliot questioned immediately. There was nothing else he could do. It was time to admit the truth.

Hardison pushed away from the wall and made a show of pulling himself together. He straightened his jacket and pushed down his sleeves. He put his ball cap back on his head and sent glares the hitter's way. Then he took a deep breath and spoke.

"I found the bugs in the Police Department's data base," he said, "and I listened to every single recording that was there. I even took one step further and hacked into every single piece of Sophie's security equipment. I know everything."

"She turned it all off every time we met," Eliot sneered towards his old friend.

"But the bugs I set picked up enough," Hardison countered quite cleverly. He crossed his arms against his chest and waited for the next step in their conversation.

Eliot shook his head in impressed disgust. "I knew you didn't just set up the cameras in our homes," he said.

"I even took a peek inside your home," Hardison reported immediately. His tone was deadly but his face held no sign of what he would do next. The power he had over the hitter was all he needed to hurt him. It was absolutely frightening for the thief to watch.

"Please, stop this," she begged. The terror in her voice was evident. She knew something horrible was about to happen. Her family was about to fall apart.

"No Parker," Eliot said a cool calm taking over his every fiber, "We're going to finish this."

"No, you're not," Parker growled in a very impressive Eliot Spencer impersonation. She stepped in between the two quarreling men and stared the hitter straight in the eyes. Then she invaded his personal space with all of the strength she had in her body. "We are going to act like a real family and pretend this never happened. You two are going to be on your best behavior because Nate needs us to be there for him."

"Eliot's been sleeping with his girl," Hardison pointed out crudely. He stepped right behind the thief and joined her in glaring at the hitter.

"What do you want me to do?" Eliot asked softly. The fire that had once been there was now completely extinguished. There was nothing but fear, hurt and desperation in his eyes. He knew what was coming next.

Parker straightened to her fullest height and kept her face clear of all emotion. "You're going to go find Sophie's attacker," she said, "And you're not allowed to come back here until you find him."

And with that, the hitter nodded his head and slowly headed towards the hospital door. He was no longer welcome to wait on the grifter's recovery. He was no longer a member of the family. He was once again alone.

The thief and the hacker watched their team mate go with heavy hearts. They watched as he left through the double doors without even a look back. It was like their family had died.

"Did we do the right thing?" Parker asked softly.

"I don't know, Mama," Hardison replied his voice grim and missing the venom it had only moments ago, "But Nate doesn't need to deal with this right now."

Parker turned towards the hacker with sadness in her eyes. "I don't think we can protect him from this for much longer," she said.


	8. Conclusions and Threats

**A/N: **_Sorry for the delay. I'm doing fifty million things at once. No, I'm just trying to get a gift delivered on Christmas and still keep you guys happy. Morgan asked so I'm going to answer. Enjoy!_**  
**

**Five Hours Before the Incident…**

Eliot had just finished cleaning off the table when a knock came on the door. Sophie had left to finish getting ready. He waited and another knock came on the door. This one was harder and more panicked. The hitter pushed the last of the dishes into the sink and opened the door. Nate was standing there with his hand already raised to knock again. The look on his face when he took note of the hitter was murderous.

"Is she ready?" He asked. His features had suddenly turned to neutral but his voice was ice cold.

"Almost," Eliot replied, "We just finished lunch."

Nate nodded at that. He was still standing at the door. An awkward silence passed between them as they both waited for something to happen. The hitter tried to figure out why everything was so weird. The mastermind was just staring at him and waiting.

"You going to let me in?" He finally asked.

Eliot blinked at that. He laughed nervously at his little stumble and quickly opened the door wider. He beckoned the mastermind in and closed the door when the older man was inside. He smiled at him again. Then he went to work on the dishes in the sink in the kitchen, away from the mastermind. He avoided eye contact with the man as much as possible. He could feel the daggers being glared into his skull. The anger was rolling off of the mastermind in waves.

"Eliot, darling, I think we're going to have to-" Sophie's musical voice called through the air. She appeared around the corner and her brown eyes grew wide in shock.

"Nate!" She gasped, "What are you doing here?"

The mastermind's jaw grew tighter at her shocked appearance. His eyes sparkled with blue fire and his breathing was very slow and controlled.

"I'm here to take you to the mark," he said through gritted teeth, "but Eliot obviously beat me to the punch. If you want I can go."

"No," Sophie shook her head, "He was just leaving."

"Actually he was just about to do the dishes," Nate replied his voice growing colder with every breath, "You should probably finish your statement. I'm sure it's important. I don't mind. Just talk as if I haven't been here at all."

Sophie's eyes grew wider at the mastermind's tone. She quickly sent a look the hitter's way. Eliot nodded at her silent plea. He stopped working on his dishes and wiped off his hands.

"I just remembered something I have to do," he said, "Those tomatoes are on sale. If I don't get to that market now they'll be gone. I'll do those dishes when I get back, Soph."

"Don't bother," Nate called.

His blue eyes were pinned on the grifter. She was staring back with fear on her features. The tension in the room was growing thicker and thicker by the millisecond. The storm was going to be rough.

"Thank you, Eliot," she said.

The hitter nodded and left as quickly as possible. The mastermind and grifter were alone. The grifter moved first.

She began to move to the abandoned dishes. She needed something to do with her hands. She needed some distraction. But Nate had other plans. His hand was around her upper arm in seconds. His eyes were demanding her to stay put. His anger was pulsing and obvious.

"Why was he here?" He demanded sharply.

Sophie closed her eyes against the silent accusation. She gritted her teeth and allowed her anger through.

"He made me lunch," she snarled, "He figured I could use it since I won't be able to stomach anything while the mark puts his hands up my skirt today."

Nate flinched at that. His arm tightened against her though. He forced his eyes to bore into hers with all the anger he had.

"Why was he here?" He asked again.

"I just told you-" She began.

"No!" He hollered invading her bubble with more anger than ever before, "Don't lie! Why was here? Alone! With you!"

Sophie stared at him in complete and utter disbelief.

"It's Eliot," she replied.

**Present…**

Jane had just finished parking her car when she ran into Eliot Spencer. She threw a cotton swab at him and smiled.

"We need a DNA sample," she explained, "So we can rule you out as a suspect."

Spencer stared at her in disbelief. She rolled her eyes.

"Everybody's a suspect," she sighed, "Would you like me to prove it to you?"

Spencer nodded slowly. She rolled her eyes again and pulled him towards the hospital. She ignored his gurgling protests and just kept walking. Eventually he stopped working against her and just kept going. Hmm, that was weird.

"Alec Hardison?" Jane asked when she noticed the hacker talking to a tiny blonde, "And are you Parker?"

The blonde squeaked, glared at her and disappeared in the blink of an eye. The detective paused at that and looked to the hacker for help.

"She does that," Spencer's voice explained.

Jane looked towards him and her brows knitted in confusion of what was going on. Both men were glaring daggers at each other. So the detective took advantage and handed a cotton swab to the hacker.

"I need a DNA sample," she explained, "He doesn't believe me. So I figured I'd prove it to him by giving you one too. See, I am trying to rule you guys out as suspects."

The hacker immediately set to work rubbing the swab all over his mouth. It was kind of grotesque and made the detective gag. He was practically French kissing that thing. Korsak just so happened to be returning from the bathroom at that moment too. He was staring at the hacker in complete confusion.

"You don't have to kiss it, son," he said.

The hacker jumped at the man and quickly stopped. He held out his hand for a baggy, which Jane immediately handed over. Then he placed it the bag and handed it back. His chocolate eyes never once left the hitter as he did it. Daggers were escaping from his eyes.

"Go find, Ford," Rizzoli demanded of Korsak softly, "Maura's going to need his DNA sample. Tell him I'll collect it after I finish my interview with Mr. Hardison here."

Korsak nodded and left the hallway immediately.

Jane turned towards the hitter and waited. The hitter kept his blue eyes on the hacker and swabbed his mouth. He placed it into the baggie carefully and refused to drop eye contact. He handed over the bag and the staring contest continued. Finally, the detective had enough.

"What's his problem?" She asked the hitter with a smile on her face.

The air grew colder.

%

Nate jumped to his feet in alarm when the door clicked open. He sighed in relief when it was only Korsak who entered. Then he returned to his seat and continued his count of the grifter's breaths. So far she was only breathing when the machine allowed her but it was off. He could almost swear that sometimes her chest would move before the sound of the machine hit the air.

"How's she doing?" Korsak asked softly.

Nate stared at the standing detective and shrugged.

"Any improvement?" Korsak pressed.

Nate shrugged again.

Korsak nodded his head and stopped trying to engage in conversation. He stood by the door and joined the mastermind in staring at the grifter. Apparently she was the only thing worth watching in this room. Well, there wasn't exactly a television or a bathroom.

"You might as well sit if you're going to baby-sit me," Nate said. He tilted his head towards the chair by the door. It would give the detective room to stay and still give him the privacy he needed with Sophie.

"Thank you," the detective replied. He carefully took his seat in the offered chair and smiled.

"Jane's here," he continued, "She's going to drop by to take a swab sample for Dr. Isles."

Nate turned towards him with confusion. A feeling of foreboding was filling his chest.

"Why does she need to do that?" He asked.

Korsak shrugged. "It's just standard procedure," he explained, "We're just ruling you out as a possible suspect. Nothing to get too worked up about."

The mastermind nodded his head and returned to staring at the grifter.

"Just don't make any plans to go anywhere out of state for a while," Korsak added softly.

He was aiming for humor but the mastermind couldn't help but feel dread at it. He heard nothing but warning and accusation. The hitter was right. He was the number one suspect. They were going to blame him for Sophie's attack. He needed a plan and he needed it now.

%

Parker stayed silent as she watched the grifter from above. She had better sight in the air ducts. She could see every single thing attached to the grifter and she couldn't take any of it out. It was safe up there in the small place. That was something she had learned as a child. Now it was proving even more correct. She wouldn't harm the grifter up there and she could help protect Nate. She had access to the whole building.

It also gave her a safe place to cry. Tears were spilling down her cheeks as she cried her heart out. How did this happen? Sophie, her best friend and mentor, was cheating on Nate. And she was doing it with Eliot. How was she supposed to fix that? What did that even mean? Was she supposed to keep quiet like the grifter and the hitter? But if she kept quiet than nobody would find out who was responsible for the grifter's attack. Of course, Nate was going to probably kill himself when he found out. Or Eliot. Would he kill Eliot? People did stupid things when they found out the person they loved was in love with somebody else. Had that already happened? The detectives seemed to think that if Korsak's text messages had anything to do with it.

The guy didn't even know his phone was missing. It was a funny story actually. Detective Rizzoli had just appeared around the corner. Parker didn't want to talk to her so she ran away when her head was on Eliot, who wasn't supposed to be there. She had just rounded the corner when she noticed Korsak was drinking from the water fountain. So she casually bumped into him and…

No, Parker focus! The thief thought to herself. She wiped away the tears staining her cheeks and asked herself something important. What would Sophie do?

The answer was obvious. She would stay and gather more evidence. Then she would weight it until all of the information showed her who was right. At least that was what she did when Eliot and Hardison argued about what movie to watch on movie night. Yeah, she was going to stay and watch.

%

Frost stared at the computer screen, rubbing his tired eyes every five seconds. He was tired and exhausted. Nothing interesting happened on Day Two of the recordings except the big bang he just so happened to find out of boredom. There was nothing pointing him in the right direction of where to go next. Everything was just shop talk or pillow talk or love triangle talk. Dr. Isles would probably enjoy the love triangle stuff.

The young detective looked around the workspace very carefully. Rizzoli was still at her interview with the hacker. Isles was still in her lab testing things and using the evidence to reconstruct the crime scene. Korsak was keeping an eye on the thieves. He was free to do whatever he pleased.

"Let's see what news we have on Day Three," he whispered to himself clicking on the first voice file he could find.

His eyes grew wide at the interesting noises happening on the line.

%

"I'll be right back," Nate said. He rose to his feet and Korsak did the same. The mastermind merely quirked an eyebrow at him. He walked towards the door and so did the detective.

"Can I help you?" He asked.

"You're a thief," Korsak shrugged, "I don't trust ya."

"I'm just going to the restroom," Nate explained, "In case you haven't noticed, she doesn't need one."

"I'll go with you," Korsak replied with a smile on his face.

The mastermind rolled his eyes and shrugged. It looked like plan B would have to do. Together they walked straight to the restroom without any difficulty. The hitter was still absent and the thief was still in the air ducts. But the hacker had returned. His expression was hopeful but quickly turned to a frown at the mastermind's shaking head. He returned to listening to his phone and whatever the police were discovering. Then they were at the door to the restroom.

"You going in to hold my hand?" Nate asked just to be annoying.

"I think I'll wait out here instead," Korsak replied. His glare was deadly though and he looked very put off by the childish behavior. Of course, he was only doing his job. "You have six minutes."

"It's going to take a little longer than that," Nate sighed, "They put a lot of fiber in their coffee."

Korsak rolled his eyes and nodded. "Just get going," he growled. Then he positioned himself in front of the door without a single motion to move.

Nate grinned and entered. He ignored the three men politely releasing themselves at the urinals. Instead he marched towards the handicapped stall. He locked the door and looked up. He grinned at his success.

%

"You're not supposed to be here," the hacker called off immediately.

"Detective Rizzoli grabbed me before I could do anything," the hitter explained, "I wasn't trying to be here."

"Then get out," Hardison growled, "She's got what she needed from you! You don't need to be around here anymore. We've got enough on our plate what with Sophie being almost dead and all."

"Let's get that interview going, shall we?" Jane interrupted. She pulled the hacker's arm but he wouldn't budge.

"I don't want you anywhere near Sophie," he ordered. There was venom in his voice and murder in his eyes.

Jane watched the pair very carefully. Something had happened since her last trip to the hospital. Before she could question it further though heavy footsteps were echoing off the walls. She looked up and took note. Frost was running at top speed. He came to a stop right in front of her.

"You need to get into the car and listen to what I have to show you," he said.

Jane stared at him and waited for more information.

Frost obliged. "Dr. Isles is in there," he said, "You go join her. Korsak and I will stay here."

The detective nodded to his order. She looked towards the hitter with narrowed eyes.

"Stay here," she ordered him. Then she went to investigate what Frost had told her to do.

%

Maura waited until her best friend was in the car before she started playing the file. Jane had barely even managed to close the door before she pressed play.

"Here is your swab sample," Jane responded.

Maura held up a finger to her lips and turned the volume up louder. The voices that were blaring were not happy voices. One was feminine and British, Sophie Devereaux's. The other was masculine and almost as familiar to the tapes as the hitter's.

"_Why can't you tell me what he's doing in your apartment?_" Nathan Ford's voice blasted into the speakers. "_What is so important that you can't tell me?"_

"_It's Eliot,"_ Sophie growled, "_What do you think he's doing here? He's checking up on me. He does it before the end of every con. You know that!"_

"_Dammit!"_ Nate boomed, "_You're lying to me again! You better tell me the truth right now or-"_

"_Or what Nate?"_ Sophie snapped back, "_You'll kill me?"_

"_You want to play it that way?"_ The mastermind replied, "_Fine! Yes, I'll kill ya if you don't tell me what the hell Eliot Spencer was doing alone in this apartment with you making you lunch and drinking our wine!"_

"_I'm not going to dignify that with a response,"_ the grifter repeated.

There was a crack on the tape and a gasp. Glass shattered and the door slammed. The grifter's heavy breathing continued to dominate the speakers for three more minutes. Her footsteps retreated to the back and then the door closed again. Then there was nothing.

Jane grabbed her phone and dialed. "Frost," she said, "arrest him."

Maura held out her hand for the swab sample. Jane clicked her cellphone closed and handed it over.

"This is Spencer's," she explained, "We'll get Ford's on the way to the precinct. Let's see just how willing to kill his girlfriend he really was."

The doctor nodded and opened her door. She joined her friend in slamming the car door closed. Then she carefully clicked her shoes towards the hospital entrance.

%

Korsak stood outside the bathroom door. He tried to ignore the funny looks he was getting from the nurses but he failed. He rolled his eyes at their awkward giggles and stared at the clock. The mastermind had been in there for five and a half minutes. Something was up with that.

Korsak pulled out his gun and kicked the door in. He scrambled into the bathroom and glared at the three men staring at him.

"Get out," he shouted at them.

He watched as they each scrambled to pick up their pants. They each struggled to close their flies and walk at the same time. One guy even hobbled out of one of the stalls. His pants were around his ankles and he was struggling to hide his red heart boxers. He slammed into the door with his pants almost to his hips before he was gone.

The detective rolled his eyes at the display. He kicked in every single stall door in search of the suspect. Then he made it to the handicapped stall. He kicked the door in and glared. The ceiling tile had been removed. Ford had left through the ventilation shaft.

Korsak cursed and raced out of the bathroom. He slammed into Frost and struggled to keep his gun from going off. A few more choice words escaped from his lips. His partner was just as surprised though less colorful in his language.

"What happened?" Frost demanded.

"Ford escaped through the damn ventilation shaft," he replied, "He told me he had to use the bathroom and like a rookie chump I let him."

"Did Jane tell you what we found out?" Frost demanded softly.

Korsak shook his head and looked confused. "What did you find?" He asked.

Before Frost could even reply a gaggle of people appeared around the corner. Dr. Isles and Detective Rizzoli were at the front of the pack. Frankie and five other officers were behind them. Then the hacker and the hitter finished it up, both bumping into each other as much as possible.

"We're arresting Ford for murder," Jane explained.

"Nate didn't kill Sophie!" The hacker argued, "He couldn't."

"You'd be surprised what a man would do out of jealousy, Hardison," the hitter commented immediately.

"Where is he?" Jane demanded a drip of anger in her voice. She also looked thoroughly annoyed with the way the two were acting.

"We don't know," Frost replied.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Maura questioned.

"You lost him?" Jane screamed.

%

Nate watched the police guards carefully. He peeked at his watch and grinned when they started to move away. His plan was working perfectly so far. He rushed past a group of people and hurried into the grifter's room. He quickly shut the door and closed the blinds. Then he slowly made his way to his grifter's side.

"Hey Soph," he whispered, "There's been a slight change of plans. I'm going to be arrested for your murder soon. I know you know that I didn't do it. I know that this isn't my fault but I can't prove it. I'm just here to say good-bye."

Nate swooped down and kissed her forehead lightly. He rubbed his eyes and ignored the prickly feeling within them. Now was not the time to give in to his emotions. No, he had plenty of time for that later. Now he was going to encourage his girlfriend into recovering. She needed him.

"Please come back to me," he asked, taking her soft hand into his own. "I know it's hard to fight the darkness but you have to. I need you, remember? I don't care if it's only for a little bit but I really need you to squeeze my hand, Soph. Please, squeeze my hand. I need to know you're still in there."

He waited. And he waited, but the grifter showed no sign of hearing him. He swallowed back some bitter remarks and kissed her lightly on the lips. He nuzzled her cheeks a little bit. He even moved some hair out of her face. Nothing seemed to be working and pretty soon it would be too late.

"Dammit Sophie!" Nate growled, "Wake up! I'm ordering you right now to wake up this instant! This isn't funny! It never was. You need to wake up right now or I have nothing. Please, just give me a reason to fight this. I don't know if I can… I need you. You know that and you still…"

Nate swallowed back his emotions again. He bent down and kissed her on the forehead, then on the cheek, then on her other cheek. He just kept kissing her and pretending that he wasn't crying, sobbing his heart out. He kissed her on the lips a few more times and glued his hand to hers.

"Just one squeeze," he begged, "I will fight if you squeeze it just once. Please, Soph, don't leave."

It was at that moment that two very different things happened. The two policemen that had been guarding the door were now working their way into the room. They jiggled the door and then started pounding on it when they realized it was locked. The mastermind even took his eyes off of the grifter, just for a second, to see if it was important. Then he returned in time to see the greatest miracle in history. Right there, right before his eyes; tiny delicate fingers contorted into a fist squeezing the fingers in their hold. She did as asked. The grifter squeezed his hand. And just to be sure she even did it again just so he would know she was doing it.

Nate was so happy he nearly whooped in joy. Only that joy was threatened when the policemen tackled him to the ground. They threw the cuffs on him and he couldn't help but laugh at everything he was given. He was still laughing merrily when they brought him to his feet. He didn't stop when one of the policemen laid a punch into his cheek. He was too happy, too joyful to be believed.

"She squeezed it," he shouted to anyone who listened. "She squeezed it!"

Nobody gave him another thought. Nobody even heard his words. All they saw was a desperate, crazy man, laughing and shouting while he was being arrested for murder. They didn't see the happy gleam in his eye or the way he was actually assisting the police by walking at their pace. They didn't see the skip in his step or the way his whole body seemed to shine. They didn't even see the way he was using his shouts to spread the word to a certain thief in the air ducts. Nobody saw the reality. They only saw what they thought was important.


	9. The Interview

**Two and a half Hours Before the Incident…**

Sophie had just finished her portion of the job. She was walking out of a very fine and expensive restaurant when she put her hands in her pockets. She felt around for the tiny piece of paper she felt in it before the meeting began. She pulled it out and read.

_Meet you tonight in the kitchen. _

It was signed with a heart and Sophie smiled at it. She caught herself before she twirled. Bubbles were filling her chest at the note's six little words. Then her brown eyes rose and met a field of blue. Nate was waiting for her across the street looking like a sick puppy.

Her smile faded.

The bubbles disbursed.

**Present…**

Nate stared at the metal cuffs around his wrists. The high from before was gone. Now he was sitting in the police interrogation room in the middle of the police station with nothing to do but think and wait. Both were his worst enemy right now as he thought of all the ways he could have imagined the miracle of two hours ago.

Of course the detectives made him wait for two hours. They had forced him to take a swab sample then they just left him cuffed to the table so he could process everything. They were trying to make him sweat, make him speak. They obviously had evidence or a strong reason to think he was the one who stabbed the grifter. And why not? He did run but only to buy himself some time. They wouldn't believe that though. No, they were under the theory that he ran because of a guilty conscience. They would ignore his track record and question his every motive. He was stuck.

Thankfully Rizzoli and Frost decided to pick that very moment as their entrance. They both smiled at him and sat down in the chairs. Well, Frost was smiling while Rizzoli seemed to be playing bad cop for this round.

"Why did you do it?" Rizzoli demanded immediately.

"If you did it," Frost added still smiling.

Nate just stared at them. He was still trying to process the likelihood of Sophie waking up. He didn't have time for trivial things like alibies. He didn't even have enough sleep to think. He was still wearing the same clothes from when this whole nightmare began. He hadn't showered and he was cuffed to a table.

"Not talking," Rizzoli rolled her eyes, "That's rich. I suppose you want your lawyer too."

"Because that is your right," Frost supplied.

"I didn't stab her," Nate growled at the detectives. He shook his head and scowled at the suggestion. "I couldn't."

"Right," Rizzoli laughed. She stood to her full height and walked around the room like she had something better to do. It was as if she had the whole case figured out. She was strutting around like she knew he was the attacker. "Let me guess. You love her."

Nate nodded. She rolled her eyes at him again.

"Because we've never heard that one before," she said, "Do us all a favor and admit it. I would like to go home and sleep. Frost has a date. We would all benefit from this."

"I didn't stab Sophie!" Nate glared at the detectives. There was venom in his voice and he knew that only made him look guilty. He just didn't care. They were keeping him away from her. Every second spent in this interview was time wasted on finding her real attacker. They were wasting Sophie's time, time that was barely on their side.

"We have evidence of you having an argument with her several hours before the incident," Frost replied. "If you didn't stab her, why were you fighting?"

"I don't remember," Nate lied.

Rizzoli was suddenly in his face, hot and angry. Her eyes were glaring daggers into his and she looked ready to plug him right there.

"Just like you didn't know about her affair?" She asked.

Nate's face fell at the indication. He felt the blood leaving his face as his heart stopped. His fingers grew numb with cold. His chest hurt and fear crept into his soul.

"What?" He asked, his breath shaking from the implication.

Rizzoli and Frost shared a curious look.

"You didn't know about the affair?" Frost questioned softly. His eyebrows were cast downwards as he tried to decide if the mastermind was lying.

Nate shook his head and returned his gaze to his cuffs. His blue eyes dimmed with thoughts and memories of the past few days. Things that were confusing before were suddenly starting to click. He was going down a road he had been denying for months. He shook his head again and tried to stop the voices of doubt.

"She wouldn't," he explained, "not after Maggie."

"We already know you knew," Rizzoli growled once again rolling her eyes, "We traced the bugs we found in the house back to you. Would you like us to refresh your memory?"

She motioned towards the two-way mirror. Maura took that as her cue and pressed the button. A strange noise filled the room. Two voices were there and they sounded like they believed they were completely alone. They were in bed together in the literal sense, both voices painfully familiar. One was the delightful Sophie Devereaux while the other belonged to one Eliot Spencer.

Nate tried his hardest to tune the noise out, but he couldn't. He struggled against his cuffs and begged the detectives to turn it off. Betrayal and jealousy were coursing through his veins. His heart was burning and he felt sick to his stomach. The world was spinning around him.

"You confronted her about it with Spencer," Frost explained softly, "She denied it. You grew angry and you had a fight. You told her you loved her and that you needed her and she just kept throwing your heart back in your face like it didn't matter."

"So you waited for the perfect opportunity and stabbed her," Jane finished, "and you just kept stabbing her until you were certain she would survive."

"No," Nate shook his head. His voice sounded like it did whenever he thought or talked about Sam. Prickles were attacking his eyes and his hands were vibrating in their cuffs. He shook his head again.

"No," he said, "You're wrong. She wouldn't. She couldn't."

"You're a very convincing actor, Ford," Rizzoli hissed at him, "but we all know you did it. Admit it and save your friends the trouble."

"You made a mistake," Frost supplied, "It was in the heat of the moment. You were emotionally unstable. It was completely out of your hands."

"Don't you dare say that!" Nate screamed at the young man, "Don't you ever suggest stabbing Sophie was a crime of passion!"

He internally groaned at the rise to bait but he couldn't help it. He felt so useless. He felt duped. No, they were wrong. He knew Eliot and he knew Sophie. They would never betray him like this. They had gone through too much.

"She would never cheat on me!" He yelled at them forcing eye contact so they could see they were wrong. "Never! Not after Sam! Not after Maggie! She wouldn't do that! She couldn't."

Frost and Rizzoli exchanged another worried look. Then the female detective nodded her head. A new set of noises blared through the speakers. It was the same voices but clearly a different time. Their tempo was different and they seemed in perfect sync.

Nate shook his head and closed his eyes against the sound. He tried to place his hands over his ears but they were still cuffed. He howled in pain and begged them to make it stop. He banged his head against the table until they made it stop. He couldn't stand that sound. He couldn't stand the betrayal. He couldn't believe it. He wouldn't. The noises blessedly stopped and he almost sighed in relief.

"They sound pretty convincing to me," Frost said.

Nate glared at the young man. He turned a hateful eye on his partner and shook his head. He felt nothing but rage at what they were doing. They were calling his grifter a-

"Would you like to hear the recording of them telling each other how in love they are?" Jane snapped towards him with venom.

"NO!" Nate snapped back as expected, "She didn't- You're making this up! This is all your way of getting rid of this case because you don't want to waste time on thieves! You're actually manipulating evidence so you can get me in prison on a murder charge. Yeah, you're trying to get me in there longer and you know a simple heist charge wouldn't do it. Do you even want to catch her killer?"

Jane stared at the mastermind in complete and utter shock. She shook her head and turned towards the mirror in disbelief. She was having a silent conversation with whoever was behind the glass. Then she turned back around and shook her head.

"You really didn't know," she said, "did you?"

Nate stared at the detective and finally understood. He looked down at his cuffs and swallowed his reply. All he could do was shake his head and try not to wallow in self-pity. How could he have been so stupid? How could he have not seen it from the very beginning?

He watched as Frost kindly and carefully removed each cuff from his wrist. He observed Rizzoli poking and prodding at his fingers. They made certain no damage had been done to his arms. They asked him simple yes or no questions, questions he only had to nod or shake to. They gave him water and tried to console him however they could.

"Why?" He finally asked.

"Why what?" Frost demanded back. He looked towards his partner in confusion. She merely shrugged in reply. They both had no idea what was going on.

"Why did they do this to me?" The mastermind whimpered.

%

Jane stared at the man in complete confusion. Her gut was telling her that his reactions were genuine. He actually had tears glistening in his eyes. Nobody was that good. She would bet even Sophie Devereaux couldn't fake up that kind of emotion. But he was a professional con artist. It was his job to scam people out of everything, to believe whatever he wanted them to. She couldn't be sure.

She had just opened her mouth to give him a reply when Maura burst through the door.

"Jane," she said.

"What?" Rizzoli sobbed.

"You better come listen to this," the doctor beckoned.

"Watch him," Jane replied as she rushed to the doctor's call.

They were in the observation room when Maura clicked on a file and plugged in her headphones.

"Listen," she ordered. Then she pressed play.

"_I can't do this anymore,"_ a soft, British accent called through the air.

"_I choose Nate."_

Then the line went dead.

%

Eliot stared at the broken grifter. He swept the hair from her forehead and tried to think of something to say. His hands shook with the force of his guilt. Nate had been arrested. Parker disappeared. Hardison was tucked away in Lucille trying to find a way to clear the mastermind.

"I'm so sorry, Soph," Eliot whimpered.

He tried to make himself squeeze her hand and failed. Then he tried to sweep more stray strands out of her hair. Everything he tried to do failed because of the great guilt falling from his chest. He couldn't function anymore. Nobody knew what he had done. Nobody knew just how far this went. He was alone.

"I'm sorry," he cried. He stumbled out of the hospital door and fought against the horrified emotions wanting to escape him.


	10. Who Dunnit

**One Hour Before the Incident…**

Nate glared daggers into the steering wheel in front of him. The wheels of his brain were visibly turning as he continued to stare into the abyss. He made none of his usual moves when he parked the car. He just put it in park and stared at the dashboard in front of him.

The grifter observed this and still refused to say a word. She was nervous and scared. Those were two emotions she was not a fan of. She opened her mouth to speak and immediately forced her mouth closed again. There was nothing she could say. Their fight had been explosive when the hitter left. Nate had tried so hard to be understanding but his anger wasn't helping. He was probably trying to figure out how to apologize when he had no reason to.

"Sophie, I-" Nate started.

The grifter responded by grabbing his hand. Tears instantly filled her eyes but she ignored them. She brought his hand to her lips and placed a gentle kiss on his knuckles. She traced his hand and stared at every nook and cranny with in it. His hands were so big compared to hers. They were rough and etched with years of hard work in every line and pore. Her hands wrapped around them in fear of forgetting their feel.

"I have a secret," she explained softly. She could sense Nate's ears perking up at that. His hand even squeezed hers to nudge her along.

"It's very important that I keep it," she said, "but only for now. Don't worry about anything. I'm taking care of it and I understand if you can't-"

"If this is your way of breaking up with me, I suggest you stop now or hear just how angry I can be," Nate interrupted softly.

Sophie jumped. His breath was hot on her neck and it sent chills up her spine that he could get so close without her noticing. His other hand was on her face, trying to get her to look at him. His voice was soft and filled with concern. He wasn't doing anything the way she wanted him to. He refused to be manipulated apparently.

"It's not a break-up," she replied, "It's an 'I want to tell you but I can't.' It's not quite my secret to tell-"

"Is it Eliot's?" Nate asked.

Sophie's breath hitched at the weird jealous ring to that stubborn man's voice. She hated that it was there but she knew it was her fault. This whole mess was her fault. The hitter had even warned her about this happening. She was going to lose her best friend because of this.

"It's a secret that will destroy us all if not kept," she said.

Then brown eyes finally met blue and her world was undone.

**Present…**

"He said he felt her hand move!" Parker growled at the nurse defensively, "Why aren't you doing anything about it?"

She had been traveling the hospital for hours now. She demanded attention from every doctor and nurse. Her impatience was only growing as everybody continued to ignore her or pretend to feel sympathy. Nobody believed her. They were all treating her like some traumatized child. She wanted to strangle them for it.

"She really did move!" Parker hissed towards the newest nurse to escape her persuasive escapades, "He was happy. He's never happy!"

"Parker, why are you terrifying the hospital staff?" Eliot groaned.

The young thief turned a dangerous scowl his way. She bared her teeth at him and a low hiss fell from her lips. Her blue-grey eyes were narrow and her shoulders flexed forward. She was a cat ready to strike. Then she spoke with an acidic voice.

"Why are you here?" She demanded.

The hitter looked torn at her vicious words. He looked on the verge of collapse from his world caving in and yet he understood. He was the one who screwed up and now he was paying the price.

"They arrested Nate," he explained, "I want to make certain you guys are alright."

"We're fine," Parker snarled, "Get lost!"

"You know," Eliot rolled his eyes, "You can't be mad at me if he's the one who stabbed her!"

Parker whipped around in seconds at that comment. Her fists clenched together in a claw and wrapped around his neck. The crazy glint of anger was back in her eyes. She looked even more dangerous than when they had first come together. Her look was feral and she was ready to strike.

"Nate would never hurt Sophie," she growled, "Not like that."

"You and I both know that man would do a lot of horrible things to protect himself," Eliot sighed, "Not to mention the crap he's already put her through over the last five years."

"Are you in love with her?" Parker rasped loudly, "Because he is. I've never seen two people care about each other as much as Nate and Sophie. I've never seen anybody work so hard to protect themselves from hard and try even harder to protect each other. Eliot, I've never seen it!"

"Then how would you know if it's right?" Eliot questioned softly.

"Because I've never seen anybody look at her the way he does," Parker shrugged, "I grew up with yelling and hatred, Eliot. I've never seen somebody glow the moment another person walked into the room before. Nate looks at Sophie like Archie used to talk about his family."

The hitter stared at the thief in complete surprise. Hurt and anger was all over his features but he couldn't help it now. His secret was almost completely revealed. He didn't have much longer with his team and the truth seemed to be the only thing he could do. So, he decided he was going to give the thief the only present she was asking for.

"Where the Hell is that Doctor my friend's been asking for?" He hollered.

"Sir, the patient…" a nurse began.

"Her name is Sophie!" Parker scowled.

"If my friend says she squeezed her hand then she squeezed her hand!" Eliot barked, "Get a doctor over there now or I'm gonna find a way of getting ya fired hun!"

The nurses scrambled over themselves to obtain the impossible goal. They looked for the best doctor they could find. The thief looked towards the hitter sadly.

"Thank you," she mouthed.

The hitter's stomach dropped at that.

%

"Out!" Nate screamed at the detective as loud as possible, "Let me out! I want to go! I'm done!"

"I'm afraid we can't do that, Mr. Ford," Frost sighed.

"No!" Nate hollered.

He was on his feet in seconds and staring down the barrel of a gun. He glared daggers at the young detective's play. He inched closer to the gun and growled.

"She needs me," he stressed, "Right before you arrested me she squeezed my hand. I need to know if that really happened or if I'm just too desperate-"

A loud bang from the door interrupted him. Jane Rizzoli was standing in its frame with Doctor Isles right behind her. Their expressions were somber and their faces stark white. The mastermind's rant died in his mouth. He shook his head at the way they were looking at him. He backed away from the white faces and imagined a warm safe place. Then he felt his knees buckle as he collapsed onto the hard concrete ground.

Maura rushed to him first. She was by his side in minutes and telling him to calm down. She offered him a glass of water and instructed him to drink it slowly. He took the advice and listened to her words.

"She's not dead," Isles explained, "The doctors haven't given us any new information on that front yet."

"So she's alive?" Nate sighed in relief. It had suddenly become very easy to breathe. The world had even stopped spinning.

"We have an idea of who did it," Jane suggested softly.

Nate groaned and rolled his eyes. He knew what that meant. He was the one still in the interrogation room and everything.

"You didn't do it," Maura interrupted his thoughts, "did you?"

Nate stared at the doctor in complete disbelief. He shook his head and felt the familiar surge of anger running through his veins. How could anybody think he would do that? He could never hurt her like that. He still owed her for the years of carrying his drunk ass everywhere.

"No," he replied, "I couldn't."

"But Eliot Spencer could," Rizzoli said.

Nate's blue eyes shot wide. He stared at the detective and shook his head gruffly. He swallowed down the frustration and the anger and refused to believe it. Then he buried his head in his hands and groaned.

"No," he whispered.

"We need your help, Nate," Jane replied, "He's not going to admit it to any of us. He's only going to admit it to you. Will you help us catch him?"

"Motive?" Nate sighed helplessly, "You don't even have a motive."

"She chose you," Maura supplied.

The mastermind closed his eyes and groaned again.

"He was the one who called the police," Jane finished, "He was there before any of you. The nurses described him as looking a bit on edge but they thought it was just because of the circumstances."

"He's a trained killer," Maura finished, "He could very easily be the reason we have no fingerprints to point towards him."

"If he had just found her why did he remove his print?" Frost questioned softly, "We already knew he was."

"Help us, Nate," Jane stressed, "Help us catch the man who did this to Sophie."

%

"Well, you were right," the doctor said, "She is improving."

Parker and Hardison cheered at the news. They hugged each other tight and jumped for joy at their grifter's recovery. The doctor had performed every single test necessary. He smiled at them and gave them a full report of everything that was happening.

"We'll remove her breathing machine tonight and see how well that works," he finished, "Her lungs are currently breathing on their own and that is a miracle of itself."

"How soon is she going to wake up, Doc?" Hardison demanded softly, "Three days, four? A week? Personally I don't want to wait a week but we'll wait as long as we need to for Sophie!"

The thief giggled at his little joke. She clapped her hands and nodded with him. Then she pulled the sulking hitter into a big hug and thanked him for getting somebody's attention. They were going to be fine after all.

"She may never wake up," the doctor explained, "You see, the damage done was pretty extensive. The fact that she survived is miracle enough. Her lungs are starting to show signs of improvement and even her spleen is recovering."

"But?" Hardison groaned.

"But there is no way of measuring the damage to her brain," the doctor said, "She had a complete lack of oxygen for at least half an hour before paramedics arrived. C.T. scans show nothing but the brain is very talented at hiding things when it comes to poor oxygen levels. She's not exactly young either-"

"English, Doc," Eliot said.

"She very well may never wake up," he shrugged, "The squeezing of her hand could have been trigger to a million things. Right now we're just going to have to wait and see."

"So she's still not in the clear?" Hardison asked, "She did all of this for nothing. We may still end up losing her."

"No," Parker said, "She just doesn't get to talk to us."

"Being off the machines could be a temporary thing," the doctor finished, "She may relapse but this is a good sign. It shows that she has the potential to wake. We just have no idea how much of her will wake up or what kind of difficulties she will experience."

"Thank you, Doc," Eliot sighed.

Then he pushed the man out of the door and turned towards his comrades. He opened his mouth to say some clever words of advice. A garbled mess of words escaped his mouth instead. Tears glistened in his eyes and he felt useless. There was nothing he could do to ease their pain.

"I want this bastard to suffer," Hardison growled, "I want him to feel the kind of pain we're going through. Can you do that, Eliot? Can you make him feel this? Can you make him suffer?"

"Hardison…" Eliot gasped.

"Do it, Eliot," Parker ordered sharply, "You find him and you make certain he never does this to anybody else. You make certain this guy learns that you don't mess with us."

Eliot shook his head despite himself. He opened his mouth to speak only to be interrupted. The hospital door swung open and the mastermind came through like a swirling tornado. The hitter was so stunned he couldn't even block the first punch. Yet another team mate punched his face in because of the grifter.

"You bastard!" Nate howled at the man.

He fisted his shirt and made certain they were nose to nose. He shook him a bit and just stared. Sadness and pain and hatred were swirling in those great blue eyes. The mastermind looked at him like he was a great stain in the room. It was as though they were no longer friends, just enemies.

"How could you do this to me?" He demanded angrily, "How could you do this to her?"

Eliot's eyes grew wide at the mastermind's crushed statement. He could tell the older man was completely tormented by the knowledge in his head. He knew exactly what had happened. He knew everything.

"We've got a few questions to ask you, Eliot," Jane explained calmly.

The hitter just nodded and allowed himself to be taken out. His eyes were glued to the mastermind. He was following like some sad puppy. His eyes were red and swollen with emotion. His muscles were twitching every which way. Yet he refused to look at Sophie. There was only one reason why a man in love would ever refuse to look at the source of that love. He knew everything.

%

"Why did you do it?" Nate demanded harshly. His voice was dripping acid and slightly slurred. They apparently agreed to give him some alcohol. The fools probably thought it was a good idea considering his withdrawal. They had no idea what they just unleashed.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Eliot shrugged.

Nate sent a very powerful glare his way.

Eliot rolled his eyes.

"Listen, Nate," he said, "They're doing this on purpose. They're trying to pin us against each other because they want us to do the work for them. They don't care about Sophie! They don't even care if we find her attacker. They just want us to incriminate ourselves so they can put us away for a very long time."

"Stop it!" the mastermind screamed at the top of his voice. Desperation and anger were all over his features. He looked pained and destroyed by everything he was doing. It was a wonder if he was aware of the tears glinting in his eyes. "Stop making them think she's that. Please, stop."

The hitter stared at the man before him. Of course that would be where his thoughts would go. They had never discussed it but the man always thought of the grifter first in each of his plans. It was why he refused to discuss her death in them. He knew she was important but this was just unexpected.

"I lost Sam because I was too much of an honest man," Nate explained softly, "I won't lose her for the same reason. I will do whatever it takes. So tell me… why did you do it?"

"Do what?" Eliot demanded softly, "You haven't exactly been very specific-"

"Dammit, I love her!" Nate shouted towards the man, "What part of that do you not get?"

"You love her?" Eliot gasped staring at the man in shock.

"Yes," Nate nodded, "Now tell me why you stabbed her."

"She chose you," Eliot shrugged, "I told that woman I loved her and that I was going to take care of her in ways you never could. And she still chose you."

"You were jealous," Nate supplied.

"You're damn right I was jealous," Eliot scowled, "And she chose you! I poured out my heart and promised her the world. I did everything to take care of her and protected her from you and she still chose you! I gave her everything!"

"Tell me what you did to her!" Nate hollered.

"I stabbed her!" Eliot screamed, "Are ya happy now? I admit it! It was me! I stabbed her. I stabbed her because she chose you and there was nothing else going through my mind. I was angry because she chose you and it just became too much. Okay, I admit it!"

"Great," Nate snarled, "Fabulous performance. I'm so proud you could use my girlfriend as a sales pitch. Now, what's the real reason you stabbed her?"

"Excuse me?" Eliot stared at him in horror.

"You heard me," Nate growled, "You're going down for this. I can tell you didn't want to. Tell me who made you do it. Why? What was the choice?"

"All or her," the hitter replied, "I can't."

"Then give me a hint," the mastermind whispered.

Jane burst through the door. She grabbed the hitter's arms and immediately started cuffing him. The Miranda rights were explained and read towards the hitter but his eyes were glued to the mastermind. His look was stoic and understanding. He knew what was going to happen next.

"He wasn't as little as we thought," Eliot explained, "Hardison will figure it out."

"You're under arrest for the attempted murder of Sophie Devereaux," she growled, "and I hope you enjoy prison."

"He's Huge!" Eliot shouted on the way out.

"What was that about?" Maura questioned softly.

"He's the small fish," Nate explained, "The man who ordered the hit was after revenge. It was a former mark."

Then he left the room as if nothing had happened.


	11. How it Happened

**The Incident…**

"You said he'd be safe," Sophie screamed, "You told me I had nothing to worry about. You promised me he'd be fine!"

"I didn't lie!" Eliot shouted back, "He's alive. They haven't found him yet!"

Sophie stared at the hitter mouth agape. She slowly started backing up and shaking her head. The hitter took note of the way her hands were calmly searching for a weapon. Good. She knew. The secret was out. His horrendous truth was finally revealed.

"They were never after him," she said, "were they?"

Eliot shook his head. "No," he said.

"Who is it?" She demanded softly, her voice held no sign of fear only acceptance. "Is… is it Moreau?"

"No," he replied, "Moreau's still in prison. You don't have to worry about him."

"Is it just me?"

"It was a choice. You or the others," he bowed his head in shame, "there was no middle ground."

He was approaching slowly now, giving her and himself time to get ready for their next step.

"Why me?" She demanded sharply. Tears were slipping into her eyes but she refused to let them fall. She was so brave.

"You know why," he replied.

She nodded. "They want him to suffer," she said, "Will you tell me who it is or do I not get to know why I'm-"

"Hughes," Eliot interrupted, "He wasn't as little as we thought."

"You'll be sure to make it so they can't connect him, right?" She demanded. Her voice was suddenly panicked and true fear was shining in her eyes. It wasn't for her though. "Hardison doesn't need to know all of that research-"

"They won't know," Eliot agreed, "I promise."

They were standing nose to nose now. Sophie's arm was stuck behind her, a knife glistening in the dim light. The hitter's arms kept her pinned to the counter. There was no escape now, only an end.

"Tell him I-"

Sophie nearly screamed at the pain erupting in her abdomen. She whimpered as the white hot knife slid out of her, forcing tears to fall. The hitter's hand covered her mouth to keep her quiet. He shook his head at her rescue and plunged the knife into her again only to remove it moments later.

"I'm sorry," he cried, stabbing her again and again and again.

Tears poured from both of their eyes as the knife kept inserting itself into her stomach. The hitter didn't even understand why his hand was still forcing the knife into her. He was sure it had something to do with her eyes still being open. So he pulled out the knife a final time and stared at the stubborn woman still clinging on. He gently placed her upon the cold, hardwood floor with apologies. He gently kissed her on the lips and observed her eyes widen in surprise and understanding. Her face turned white immediately and her eyes slammed shut. She knew all of it now and that was enough.

The hitter took the proper protocols and removed all evidence of his presence. He cleaned himself up, regaining his composure as he went. He moved towards the refrigerator, picked up a beer and drank it all the way down. He stared at the grifter's body, cringing at the amount of blood dripping onto the floor. She was still breathing, staggeringly but breathing all the same. He stared at the ups and downs of her chest and gave up. He threw away the beer and headed out the door, locking it while he was at it. Then he broke down the door and went straight to the phone. He waited a few minutes, made a phone call. And waited for the ambulance to arrive.

**Present…**

Jane entered the doctor's office with anger on her features. She was literally seething despite the fact that they had just got the bad guy. That could mean only one thing.

"The captain said we had to prove somebody else was behind this or we will be arresting the rest of them tomorrow," she explained.

Maura shrugged.

"Then you better sit down," she said, "because I think I just found proof."

Jane did as told. She found the perfect spot on a stool. Then she watched as Maura gathered her tools together. There was one vile in particular that caught her attention. It happened to say, "Unidentified substance" and Jane gagged in disgust.

"Yes, Jane," Maura said rolling her eyes, "It's the fluid but it does not belong to Eliot Spencer."

"But you said it did," Jane gasped.

"No, the computer did," the doctor explained, "which is why I did a paper test."

"And the results are different?" the detective surmised.

"That would be correct, Jane," Maura nodded, "And thanks to your saliva collecting we know exactly who it is."

"And the fluid belongs to…?"

"Nathan Ford," Maura giggled, "And I even went through the trouble of doing a double test. His DNA is a one hundred percent match over Spencer's believable eighty percent. The computer was wrong. Ms. Devereaux was not having an affair."

"But the doctors' report shows that she did the deed twice," Jane replied.

"I checked that and noticed condom residue in the mystery fluid," Maura nodded, "which means Ford was the man on both occasions."

"Which throws Eliot's story out the window," Jane smiled, "So how does that prove that Spencer's not the mastermind?"

"Because the computer gave me a result that directly contradicts the evidence," Maura explained, "Somebody with a superior tech skill has been tampering with our computer systems."

"Alec Hardison?"

"No," Maura shook her head, "I saw his reaction to Eliot's arrest. His look of disgust and surprise at the crime was too genuine. Plus I saw him in action once. He's too over the top. That was real emotion when he forced Eliot away."

"And we can't even find Parker to question her," Jane nodded.

"But I was able to find a signature on a portion of one of the bugs. It had a symbol that looks like two letters: D and T."

%

"Hardison, status!" Nate hollered at the top of his lungs.

He had only just returned from the little endeavor at the police office. He was pacing around in Lucille, hounding the hacker relentlessly. The poor blonde thief was taking in every motion with morbid fascination. She was also taking acute notice of one very painful and confusing detail.

"Why won't you look at Sophie's camera?" She asked.

The mastermind froze at the question. His whole body went rigid and he visibly shook from the ferocity of the stop. He closed his eyes and took a steadying breath. Then his blue orbs fell onto the thief and her inquisitive blue-grey eyes.

"I want you to stay with her while Hardison and I hunt down the bigger fish," he explained, "She'll try to wake up for you. Plus it will do her some good to know you're fine. Eliot hinted strongly that it was one of our old marks."

"And he was right," Hardison interrupted, "Dr. Isles just discovered the signature of one of our _favorite _marks on one of the bugs found in Sophie's temp. house. The symbol and craftsmanship is Larry Duberman's."

"Duescherman," Nate cursed, "Find him."

"Already on it, boss," the hacker replied, "but he's not scary enough to make Eliot stab Sophie. I think he's just the middle man."

"I know he is," Nate agreed, "so we're going to pay him a visit and show him exactly why he should have said no."

"So why won't you look at Sophie?" Parker asked again.

"I'm busy, Parker," Nate replied.

"You should at least go in and talk to her," the thief suggested softly, "She needs to know that you still care for her."

"I don't think that's a good idea right now, baby girl," Hardison said.

"Why not?" She asked, "It's Sophie. She always does better when Nate's by her side. She can do anything with him whispering in her ear. She told me that right before Eliot stabbed her."

"She wasn't exactly loyal, Parker," the hacker tried.

"But it's Sophie," she explained, "and Sophie needs Nate. Nate needs Sophie. It's been that way since before all of this started. She only lied to Nate to protect us-"

"Parker!" Nate screamed with shaking hands.

The thief immediately stopped at his threatening stance. The hacker even took the liberty of standing at the outburst. Both members were looking at him with worry on the faces. But the mastermind's eyes finally found their way to the grifter. He was suddenly mesmerized by the image on the screen. Every muscle in his body started to shake with the effort.

"I can't, Parker," he whispered, "because I'm afraid that I'm wrong. I can't trust myself right now. I have to take carry of Larry Duberman first. I have to trust Eliot right now."

"But he stabbed your girl?" Hardison replied.

"Which is why you're driving," the mastermind sighed, "because I can't. Now please Parker, she needs you."

The thief nodded at the command. She quickly pecked the hacker's cheek and was gone within minutes. The mastermind and the hacker were left in the wake of silence. Neither knew how to speak or even what to say. They were at a loss and that was not a good thing.

The computer bleeped and the hacker went into action. He stared at the blaring red dot and closed his eyes in misery. He found him.

"Buckle up," he ordered of the mastermind, "I don't want you to get hurt."

"Will you do me a favor?"

Hardison turned towards the mastermind with question in his eyes. Then he gave the answer he never expected.

"Always."

"Please, make sure I don't kill him."

%

Smack!

"Tell me who he is!" Nate screamed towards the puny, pathetic excuse of a man.

Duberman remained silent as he held his hands tight against his chest. Blood was falling from the lips but that only seemed to be egging the mastermind on. Every second wasted in this terrorizing interrogation kept him away from Sophie's almost-killer. His anger was overriding all other thought. So he kicked the man in the knee, breaking it instantly.

"Who is he?"

Duberman burst into a fit of giggles at the desperation in his voice.

"I'm not telling you," he said, "You're just going to kill me anyway."

"Tell me and you'll die faster," Nate promised with another kick to the ribs.

"You have no idea how far this plan goes," Duberman giggled, "do you?"

The mastermind's fist froze centimeters away from the tech geek's skin. He removed the fist and turned away from the giggling buffoon. He bit his lower lip, a habit gained from Sophie, and digested every happy breath falling from his enemy.

"We control the evidence, Ford," Duberman explained, "Your team is finished."

"What did you do?" Nate hollered towards the man.

"What I told you would happen," Duberman replied, "We ruined you completely. We got to your hitter first which was surprisingly easy. We explained what we would do if he didn't do what we asked. We even showed him the pictures."

"You gave him the choice between us and Sophie," Nate nodded.

"Then we pressured him into stabbing her," Duberman supplied, "We made him bug her so we would know everything that was going on. Do you want to know what she sounded like as she begged for her life?"

"Hardison was easy to manipulate," Nate hissed towards his enemy in scorn. "All you had to do was change the voice on the bugs. The police would figure it was an internal hit…"

"And you would all lose," Duberman smiled at his delicious plan. He then clicked his gun and pointed it towards the mastermind in seconds flat. "I like to call it poetic justice."

Nate shook his head and took a dangerous step forward. His face was stone cold as he continued his conversation with the old, washed-up mark. "There's no poetic justice in this. What you did was wrong and we busted you for it. This is just good old fashioned revenge, nothing new about it."

"But it's your downfall," the little man said, "And that's all that matters."

"Except this wasn't your plan," Nate surmised easily enough. He was the mastermind after all. It wasn't very hard for him to poke holes in others flaws. "You're just the stooge, the fall man, the one who gets his hands dirty for the big player's sanity. We both know you're not the big fish in this situation."

"No," Duberman agreed, "but we both know what I used to be until you and your team of miscreant thieves decided to rob me of my power!"

"Power you abused," Nate pointed out solidly. They were neck and neck now. Duberman's gun was directly pointing into Nathan Ford's face and the man couldn't care a lick. It was just proof of how far over the edge the mastermind had already gone.

"I'm not going to tell you who he is," Duberman replied with a smile.

"You don't have to," Nate whispered. He was smiling now as well. His deep blue eyes were glaring holes into his enemy's head and vindication was in his grasp. "I only want you dead."

That was when he struck. The mastermind swung his left arm up and knocked the gun out of Duberman's hand before the little guy had any idea what was happening. Then he pinned the geeky runt against the wall and applied pressure. Nathan Ford's arm was slowly digging into Larry Duberman's neck and cutting off the flow of oxygen to the brain. He was going to kill him and didn't care who knew it. Nate was going to kill.

"Please," Duberman said choking on his own spit and lack of air, "Don't kill me."

"Tell me his name," Nate ordered briskly. There was no humor in his voice. He was dead serious and still applying pressure.

"I don't- I don't-" Duberman said, "I don't know his name."

"Try again," Nate growled. His arm was close to breaking something important in Duberman's neck. He could feel the windpipe slowly cracking under the pressure. It was only a matter of time now.

"Hughes," Duberman squealed, "Joshua Hughes!"

Nate turned his head to the side and thought the name over. It wasn't ringing any bells with him but that didn't matter. He just raised his left eyebrow and said, "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Duberman cried. Tears were pouring from his eyes he was so frightened by what was happening. He was turning purple and barely breathing. He wasn't going to last much longer.

Nate released the man and smiled in satisfaction. Duberman collapsed as soon as his arm wasn't supporting him. The sad excuse of a man was crying on the floor in utter disbelief of his ruin. He was afraid to die, that was why Nate attacked.

"Stay away from my girlfriend," he hissed. Then he was gone with Duberman still sobbing on the floor.


	12. Awake

**A/N:** _Thanks for sticking with me! I've got one fic down and this is the next one I want to finish! So, enjoy and be patient with me. Thanks._

Jane raced through the department as fast as she could. She plopped herself down in her chair and started typing on her computer with maddening skill. She was looking for a name, a very unexpected name. Frost stared at her from across the desk. His mouth was opened wide and looked frightened, very, very frightened.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm typing up a search, Frost. What does it look like I'm doing?" Jane sassed.

Frost looked taken aback by the defensive play. He raised his hands in surrender and moved closer to his partner's computer. Then he looked her straight in the eyes and waited for her to give him some form of apology or at the very least a reason for the rude behavior.

"Whoa," he replied.

Jane tried ignoring him but the hurt look on his face and the guilt building in her chest was too much. She sighed in annoyance and huffed. She wanted to find the bad guy responsible and get this taken care of. Eliot was going away for a long time if she didn't prove there was somebody else involved. She was going to have to arrest the whole team and Frost was getting in the way.

"Look," she said, "I'm sorry but this is really important. If I can't prove for certain that Eliot was just the middle man, we're going to have to arrest Nate and his team."

"Mainly Ford because he refuses to leave Devereaux's side," Frost supplied.

"Yeah, well Maura just informed me that all of our gathered evidence is literally made to point at Eliot Spencer," Jane reported, "and if I can't find some sign that there's another bad guy without using the computer soon…"

"Our case is closed," Frost sighed.

"Exactly," Jane nodded, "So sorry but I can't talk right now."

"I'm going to call some of my friends in the other districts," Frost promised, "See if they can give us some information that will help us along. Korsak too, he's got friends all over the place."

"Thanks."

%

"Joshua Hughes?" Hardison growled, "Joshua Hughes? Seriously, the bad guy is Joshua Hughes?"

"I think we got that, Hardison," Nate said, rolling his eyes as he spoke.

"But he was nothing," Hardison continued to gripe, "He didn't even give me anything worthy of research! If we were a television show he wouldn't even be worthy of an episode! How could he be the one to talk Eliot into killing Sophie?"

"Well you obviously missed something in your research, didn't you?" the mastermind snapped towards the hacker viciously.

The hacker's face fell into one of horror, guilt and sadness at his words. Nate regretted them instantly. He knew Hardison did his best to protect him and still he fed on his constant desire to push people away. The hacker wasn't at fault for missing something, he was. It was the mastermind's job to make sure nothing got passed their defenses. He failed. He was to blame for what the hitter had done.

"I'm sorry," Nate sighed, "I'm so sorry, Hardison."

The hacker squeaked in reply. The horror was still there but now worry was taking over his features. The poor young man didn't know what to do and it made no sense. Was he having a panic attack too?

"It's my fault," Nate explained further, hoping to comfort him somehow, "I missed a sign I shouldn't have. It's not your fault at all."

"Sophie didn't notice anything either," Hardison said, "Eliot too. We all messed up."

Nate stared at the hacker in complete surprise. Then a smile started to appear on his lips. A laugh slipped passed and he could have sworn the hacker thought he was crazy now. Of course, he believed it as well.

"Parker," Nate called through the coms.

"Yes," the thief replied automatically.

"I need you to go back to Eliot and Sophie's houses," he said, "I need you to look for any clues you can find that will point you in the right direction."

"What about the police?" Hardison asked.

"Give me the phone," Nate replied.

%

Jane Rizzoli was doing an amazing job of ignoring her phone. It was sitting at her side as she read file after file on Ford's crew. She had so far researched at least twenty of their victims and hadn't even made a dent. Frost was likewise occupied with every paper file he could get a hold of in the entirety of Boston. Korsak was currently negotiating with the feds and Interpol to get more.

The phone blessedly stopped buzzing by the mouse. A beep signaled that there was a voicemail waiting for her attention. The detective almost reached over just to listen to it. She decided against it when she noticed Damien Moreau's file was on the list of victims. She clicked the file and read through it with rapt attention. The list of possibilities was getting extremely long again.

The phone buzzed again. Its bright light shined in distracting just when Rizzoli was about to learn more about Moreau's start. So far he had begun in antiquities. How he moved up was currently overshadowed by a simple buzzing phone. A phone that was starting to blare music and turn up its own volume all by itself.

Jane lunged for the phone. Frost and Korsak immediately went to attention. They gravitated towards her desk as she answered her phone.

"Ford," she replied.

"Figured that would get your attention," Nate laughed, "I've just sent Parker after Eliot and Sophie's houses. She's going to look for any evidence your people may have missed. Not that we doubt your abilities, of course."

"Of course," Jane agreed.

Frost and Korsak gave her questioning glances. The worry was all over their faces. Frost even looked like he wanted to get out and start searching.

"Parker only left under the condition that you or somebody you trust in your department watches Sophie's door," Nate explained.

"I'll send Frost over as soon as I can," Jane agreed, "Did you find him?"

"Joshua Hughes," the mastermind said, "That's the person behind this."

"And your source is someone we can trust?" Jane asked hopefully.

Frost looked at her like she was crazy. She just held the phone to her ear and shrugged.

"He's not reliable but the name fits with Eliot's clue," Nate replied, "Hardison's doing everything he can to find the guy and get him in your jurisdiction."

"Okay, but we have a major problem," Jane explained, "I talked to the captain this morning. He's given us three days to prove that Eliot wasn't working alone. But Duberman managed to make it so we have no evidence. Assuming Parker doesn't find anything during her search."

"Everything points to Eliot?" Nate guessed.

"Yes," Jane agreed, "So you've got three days to get Hughes into town for us to prosecute. Parker's evidence may help but because we didn't make the discovery any good lawyer is going to have it dropped, and Hughes sounds like the kind of man who hires the best."

"Without any evidence he'll be out by lunch," the mastermind grumbled, "Even if Hardison and I can pull up something it still won't be enough. Parker's doing her best but it will be circumstantial at best."

"You're going to have to wake Sophie," Jane proposed.

Frost's eyes grew wide while Korsak gave her the death glare. Both men were shaking their heads in tandem at their partner's idea. She gave them an apologetic look. Secretly she agreed with them but what other choice did they have?

"But the doctors said…" Nate began.

"I know what the doctors said," Jane sighed, "but we don't have a choice. I know she's on some pretty heavy drugs right now. You're just going to have to convince her to beat through them. If that's even possible."

"But," Nate stuttered, "but how?"

"You'll think of something," Jane shrugged, "Sophie is the only witness we have. If Eliot told her anything at all then an interview with her should buy us the time we need to find the evidence."

"And thus connect Hughes to Sophie's attempted murder," Nate finished, "This isn't going to be easy."

"It has to be you, Nate," Jane said, "I've heard the recordings. You're the only one who can bring her back."

There was a long, pregnant pause as the detective waited for the mastermind's reply. She was biting her nails because the tension was so thick. Even Frost looked nervous at what the mastermind's answer could be. They all knew the story of Jimmy Ford's death. They knew how close he came to joining those he hunted. What they were asking was the most challenging task they could want.

"I'll try," Nate said.

Then the line went dead.

The detective stared at her phone in shock. Then she nodded her head and looked up at her partner and mentor.

"Frost-" she began.

"Go to the hospital and make certain nobody gets into her room," he replied, "and let Ford through when he finally gets there. I got it, Jane."

Jane smiled at her partner's reply. Then she turned towards her mentor expectantly.

"I'm going to find out everything I can about Joshua Hughes," Korsak replied, "and see what Alec Hardison could have possibly missed. My friends in the other districts are bringing over the files as we speak. He'll be easy to find now that I know where to look."

"Thanks," Jane smiled. Then she grabbed her jacket, her phone, her badge and her information.

"Where are you going?" Korsak asked in surprise.

"I'm going to go make Parker's findings admissible in court."

%

Nate stared at the hospital door, fear coursing through his veins. He slowly stretched out his hand to open it. And retracted it immediately. His palms were dripping with sweat from his nervousness. He swallowed the thickness in his throat and ignored the prickling in his eyes. He began pacing to try and find the courage to enter. He wiped his hands against his pants and fought to calm his nerves. He gave up on hope of that immediately.

"Just go," he told himself angrily.

He couldn't stand the tension in his chest. Every breath he took wasn't enough. He felt like he was hyperventilating just at the idea of seeing the grifter again. He was nervous and couldn't figure out why. Then his eyes finally fell on the window and stared through the blinds.

Her body was unnaturally still. Her chest barely moved, but fog was covering her oxygen mask. There was no other sign of life coming from her. She was just as still as she had been when they first arrived. But her skin wasn't as pale. Maybe she wasn't dying. Maybe, he still had a chance to get her back and never let go. He would do that for her. He would do anything for her.

The mastermind opened the door without realizing it. He didn't even realize he was walking into the room until she was within arm's reach. He looked back and the door was closed. So he went towards the grifter and grabbed her hand. He kissed her on the forehead and started thinking of words to say. Nothing came to his mind.

"Soph…" he muttered, emotion tugging at his throat and forcing his silence.

He couldn't do it. He couldn't stay with her in such a condition. He had only been there a few seconds and was already having visions of Sophie in Sam's place. It was already too much. He couldn't handle this kind of torture. She wasn't going to make it. God wasn't that kind.

Yet, he was till there holding her hand like she was going to come back to him. Was this what happened right before a person went insane? It certainly seemed possible.

"Please wake up for me, darling," he gasped.

He cringed at the sound of his voice. He sounded desperate. No, he sounded like he was crying. Maybe he was. He couldn't quite be sure anymore. The only thing his eyes seemed to pick up on was the way the grifter's chest still refused to move correctly. Sure it was moving up and down on its own, but it wasn't moving rapidly enough. If anything it looked slower than before.

"I know your secret," he explained twirling her hair around his finger, "You don't have to worry anymore. It's okay. I'm not mad at you. I'm kind of proud. I know how guilty you feel about conning us all those years ago. I know you wouldn't do that again unless it was to protect us."

He continued playing with her hair for a few minutes. For some reason silence still seemed to be her answer and it was slowly driving him mad. His eyes once again fell towards the only exit in the place. Frost was dutifully standing outside, kindly ignoring him as much as possible. The mastermind's feet itched to be as far away as possible. He wanted to run away screaming and yelling and doing something.

But the grifter kept him there. Her pitiful, pale skin made no move to gain color. Her breathing chest continued to make no real sign of progress. Her heart was beating a rhythm into the machine, mocking him of the fact that she was right there and still miles away. Gauze was sticking out of her hospital gown. The mastermind stared at it in hatred.

"You've got to wake up," Nate ordered his tone brisk and filled with pain, "I need you to wake up, okay. We need to know what Eliot told you. We need to know who did this."

Nate stared at his hands, now shaking violently. He grabbed the grifter's hand and was stunned to see the shaking cease. Even his breathing was easier at the simple contact. He could feel her weak heart under his fingertips. Her skin was still smooth despite the fact that it looked so thin, so easy to break. She didn't feel like she was dying, fighting for her life with everything she had.

"You're strong," he said, "You're the strongest person I've ever known."

Then he laughed at his statement.

"You'd tell me I was lying if you were awake," he said, "But I'm not. Sure Eliot's pretty close to super human as you can get, but he's nothing compared to you. He didn't keep his heart as well protected. You were the one who betrayed us first, remember? Then you left us and sent Tara as your replacement! Do you honestly think you're that easy to replace, Sophie Devereaux because I can honestly tell you that you're not!"

He traced his thumb along the contours of her cheeks. He could feel her body cooling from the effort of trying to stay alive. The doctor told him to expect that. He was such a coward. He made every effort he could of prolonging this visit. The first one nearly killed him, but the second one got her to squeeze his hand. Maybe he could bring her back after all.

"I'm sorry," Nate sighed, "I should have been there. I could have saved you."

He felt the anger bubbling to the surface again. It wasn't his fault she was in this mess. It was Eliot's. He stabbed her. He tricked her. He lied to her… and she helped him lie to her.

"You should have told me," He growled, "You should have let me know you were in danger right away! We're a team, Sophie!"

Suddenly the anger was gone. He couldn't remember what made him so angry in the first place. All he could do was collapse onto her hand and fight off his emotions. He could barely even lift his head high enough for her to hear him.

"I need you to wake up," he said, "I need you to prove you're going to survive!"

%

There was another person in the room with her. That much was obvious by the subtle clues her mind could register. Somebody was clicking away at some buttons at the top right corner of the bed. The soft slide of comfortable shoes suggested a nurse. The click of a pen explained that said nurse was filling out a form on his or her way out. No, she was definitely a female nurse because the gait was small. Great, now she was turning into Eliot.

A light smell of oranges and computer cleaning rags was starting to fade away. So was the smell of chocolate Bungee cords. Hardison and Parker must have only just left, if they left at all. Eliot's cologne and the smell of sweat weren't anywhere nearby. Maybe he just hadn't been back yet, or the drugs were dulling her senses. There was a slight pressure on her hand. The smell of alcohol and coffee were overwhelming in the air.

A soft whisper was filtering through her ears. The voice was rough and raw with emotions. The scent of coffee was oddly growing stronger. It should have been alcohol, whiskey to be more specific. The voice was pleading with her. Pain and sadness were etched within its resonance. It sounded like he had been crying at some point. He asked her to squeeze her hand and she did. She remembered that.

So why was everything so quiet now? Something was off; something was wrong.

Then Sophie Devereaux opened her eyes.


	13. Making Progress, Gently

The ceiling was filled with an insufferable light. It was bright and horrible. A dull pain throbbed in her head. Of course, pain was a dull throb everywhere. The medicine helped to keep it in the back of her mind though. It made thinking difficult. She had already forgotten what she was supposed to do. Then she remembered the hand squeezing her own. She turned towards it with a smile on her face.

Nate was clinging to her hand like it was the source of life. His unruly hair was jumbled and pointed in all kinds of ways. His head was against her hand while the rest of him was bent at an odd angle. He had been sitting by her side when sleep finally took him. His clothes were wrinkled in all sorts of places. Still, there were lines all over his features and even in sleep the circles were deep and black under his eyes.

She moved her free hand with much effort. She slid it through his hair as gently as possible. Yet, he still startled awake at her touch. His eyes popped open, startled. Then they finally focused and met hers. A wide smile full of teeth grew on his beautiful face.

"Sophie," he cheered, "You're awake."

His left hand automatically shot out to brush the hair out of her face. The smile just kept growing brighter and brighter as he stared at her. His eyes even looked a little shiny. But he looked so tired. Why did he look so tired?

"How are you feeling?" He demanded softly.

The grifter tried to open her mouth to speak but a great pain erupted in her throat. Her hand automatically jumped to the area and a great panic set about her. A rapid beeping sound was starting to sound through the air. Then a hand was putting a glass in her face. There was even a straw sticking out of it.

"Drink," the mastermind ordered.

She obeyed.

"Slowly," he admonished softly, "You don't want to make yourself sick."

And just like that the beeping stopped. She could breathe again. Her throat didn't feel so sore either. Well, that could have been the drugs' doing. She did feel better though.

"Better?" Nate asked.

She nodded. He smiled.

He put away the magical drink and quickly fluffed her pillow. He pulled up his seat and gently touched her face. Then he swept away some stray hairs and just stared at her. His eyes were shining brightly.

"I'm so glad you're awake," he smiled.

Sophie smiled back at him. She lifted her hand as high as it could go. He seemed to understand what she wanted to do because he placed his cheek right into her hand. She rubbed her thumb along his cheek and felt a flurry of stubble. Her brow creased with worry as she took in his beautiful face.

"How long has it been?" She asked. Her voice sounded like gravel to her own ears.

"A few days," Nate shrugged, "Record time really. But you've never followed the rules."

Sophie nodded at the statement. She took a chance to look away. She allowed her eyes to take in the entire room. Confusion filled her senses.

"Where are the others?" She asked immediately.

"Parker's helping the police out," Nate explained gently, "I sent Hardison to retrieve her with very specific instructions that they were to get some rest."

"Eliot?" She asked with concern falling on her features.

The mastermind's expression turned dark. His eyes filled with hatred and anger at the mention of the hitter's name. Then his eyes clouded over with fear and sadness. He started brushing back the hair on her forehead. He was suddenly dodging her eyes. He was looking at his flittering hands instead of her.

"He's currently in jail awaiting trial," Nate replied, "He admitted to stabbing you. He said the two of you were sleeping together and that you chose me over him and he just couldn't-"

"Nate," Sophie gasped in alarm. She hated the stupid drugs in her system. It took her too long to figure out what he was saying. "Eliot and I… we-"

"I know," he said, meeting her eyes immediately, "I know you didn't."

"I…" she gasped, "I need… It's not. I didn't."

"I know," Nate nodded with a smile at the confirmation. He was scared. Then his brow creased with worry. He was rubbing her forehead gently, his hand still firmly grasping hers. It was like her touch was the current keeping him alive. He couldn't stop touching her.

Her eyelids grew heavy as the drugs continued to rage. She fought the pull of sleep off as much as she could though. There was something very important she had to say. She just couldn't quite remember what it was. She knew it involved him though.

"Sleep Soph," Nate ordered with a sad smile. Of course he would notice how droopy her eyelids had grown. Maybe his plan involved putting her to sleep. "I'll be here when you wake up."

"It's always been you," she mumbled softly, her eyes already half-closed, "Only you."

Then she returned to the black, but this time the trip wouldn't be so long.

%

Jane was at the grifter's rented apartment in moments flat. She looked towards the police currently watching the sight and nodded their way. They had absolutely no clue there was somebody else in the building. It wasn't their fault either. Parker was the best thief known around the world, and she worked with the best in their fields. Obviously two seasoned policemen were nothing for her.

The detective walked into the apartment and was immediately assaulted by the smell of dried blood. She stared at the kitchen floor and was amazed by just how red it was. Despite everything they had done to clean it, it was still stained through. Nothing was askew in the building. The knife believed to have committed the crime had already been taken to the department. There was nothing that could have been found.

"I found her notebook," a voice called from above.

Jane looked up and found a tiny blonde staring back at her. The thief known as Parker was sitting on the rafters and staring at the kitchen floor. Her face was scrunched up in confusion and she was indeed holding a notebook, blessedly with black gloves.

"May I have it?" Jane asked.

Parker shook her head and held the notebook tighter to her chest. She pointed to the bedroom and continued shaking her head.

"I opened the safe hidden beneath her bed," she explained, "You guys weren't going to be able to find it even if you looked. She used a fiberglass encasing and hid it beneath the floorboards."

Jane smiled at the thief's help. She walked over to the indicated area and immediately set to work. She pulled out every baggie she had and pulled all the information out of it. Surprisingly, none of the objects were cash or identities. They were all notebooks and files on past victims. Information on a certain Joshua Hughes was in the top file. The rest were filled with various pictures of the team. That didn't make sense. Why would the grifter store surveillance photos right where the mastermind could see them?

"I stole some of them from Eliot's," Parker replied.

The detective jumped at the sound. She slammed her head into the bed and allowed a stream of curses to whip past her lips. Then she slowly turned towards the smiling thief.

"Can you tell me where?" She asked, "I need to make sure you got everything."

"Except you need a warrant to search his house," the thief sighed, "This way you don't need the warrant. You save paperwork and time."

"Are you sure you got everything?" the detective asked.

"I'll make sure of it," a male voice called from the door.

Jane jumped again. Then she rolled her eyes at the sight of Alec Hardison with his arms crossed against his chest. She allowed a few choice words to escape her lips again. Parker giggled at her actions. She looked happy for the first time since the detective saw her. Well, at least that's what she guessed from the tiny glimpses she caught of the thief stealing different possessions from the regular uniforms. The only reason she wasn't arrested was because she put them back straight away.

"How did you get past them?" The detective demanded angrily, "They know not to let anybody through."

"I showed them my F.B.I. badge," Hardison shrugged, "They argued and I dared them to tell you I was here. They're afraid of you, by the way."

Jane rolled her eyes and Parker giggled harder. This was exactly what she wanted.

"Well," Jane said, "If you guys don't get out of here than the evidence you just showed me won't be admissible in court."

"No problem," the hacker winked, "The F.B.I. is only here as inquiry about the victim. We have complete faith in the Boston Police but we want to make certain we get custody of the victim, a world renowned art thief wanted around the world, when this case is over."

Jane stared at him in complete and utter shock. She had forgotten how good these criminals were. Hardison was rumored to be a genius and his arrest record seemed to be proof positive. It made sense that he would go through the trouble of memorizing the protocols of every single detection force in the world. So she just shrugged and played along.

"Yes," she said, "That's fine. Whatever, I've got to get this evidence over to the office and file it away. With this we might be able to buy you guys some time to get away."

"And we'll be free to find Joshua Hughes," Hardison nodded.

"We'll get him here, detective Rizzoli," Parker said, frowning slightly.

"I'm going to need that too, Parker," Jane said, motioning to the notebook in her arms, "It could contain very important evidence."

The thief clung to the notebook tighter at the detective's words. She looked towards the hacker for help. He nudged his head forward and gently pushed her towards the detective. The thief shrugged, sighed and handed over the evidence.

"I'll take good care of it," Jane promised.

The thief opened her mouth to reply. She was interrupted by a cell phone ringing. The hacker made a motion to check his phone. He stared at it in confusion before he took notice of the detective. He rolled his eyes and pressed a few buttons. Suddenly, Jane's pants were vibrating uncomfortably. She grabbed in annoyance. She was just about to hit the end call button when she read Nathan Ford's name.

"Ford," she answered.

The thief and hacker immediately tuned into the conversation. The thief was beside the detective in seconds while the hacker obligingly tried to keep her at a distance. They were holding their breath and praying for a miracle. Apparently they had forgotten their coms this time around. They made no sign of being able to hear the current conversation. Their eyes were full of fear.

Jane listened to the mastermind's words very carefully. She schooled her features to betray no sign of emotion. Then she answered him with a polite, non-committal answer. She pressed the phone closed and ended the very short call. Both of the thieves were staring at her with wide, worried eyes.

"What happened to Sophie?" Hardison demanded bravely. The fear was even in his voice. He probably had no idea how close he was holding the thief.

Jane smiled towards them with hope shimmering in her eyes.

"She's awake."

%

Korsak was currently sitting at his desk, reading through Joshua Hughes' file. Nothing out of the ordinary was catching his attention. The man had a regular childhood; private school, prep school, and then the best college his parents' money could buy. In fact, the only blemish to the guy's name was the fact that he was caught smuggling guns out of the country. That was obviously Ford's doing. Nobody was honestly dumb enough to accidentally invite every police force in the state to a bidding war. So how was this guy able to get to Ford's grifter?

Maura Isles decided to make an appearance just when Korsak finished his reading. The good doctor had a knack for showing up when a puzzle needed solving. She was even kind enough to sit in the chair directly in front of him.

"I know that face," she said.

"We've got a problem," Korsak agreed, "because this Hughes guy has no signs of being capable of arranging this kind of a hit. He doesn't even have a good enough college GPA. to be worthy of their kind of ambush."

"Obviously he's smarter than he looks," Maura sighed, "Maybe he had some connections in college that they missed."

"I don't think so," Korsak shook his head, "Alec Hardison does some amazing research."

"Then they missed a sign right in front of their eyes," Maura nodded. Then she held out her hands for the file. Korsak obliged her immediately.

He watched her use that impressive brain of hers. Her nose scrunched towards the left as she tried to piece the puzzle together. She suddenly perked up and pointed to the very simple thing in the top right corner.

"It says here he has no living family members," Maura explained.

"Yeah," Korsak nodded, "His father died in a plane crash and his mother died at childbirth. What of it?"

"His accounts were frozen after his arrest," the doctor replied.

"That's right too," Korsak agreed, snatching the file away and urgently dialing a number.

"So who paid for his lawyer?" Maura questioned softly.

"Yeah," Korsak said, speaking cheerily into the phone, "It's Korsak. Could you get me my buddy, Officer Hopper? Hey, Jonas, how have you been? Yeah, well I'm currently working on a murder case and I think it has something to do with the Hughes' case. Could you send me all the information you have on his trial and his lawyer? It didn't arrive in his arrest report. Of course, why would it? Okay, thanks a bunch, Jonas. You take good care of yourself now."

"So," Maura pressed simply, "What did he say?"

"He's delivering it personally this evening," Korsak smiled, "You think that will be enough time for Jane to get us some evidence to prolong the case?"

"It better," Maura sighed, "but if not I might be able to."

"How?" Korsak asked.

Maura rose to her feet and grabbed her purse. Then she tilted her head to the left in thought.

"I think I'm going to double check the hospital's reports of Ms. Devereaux's injuries," she said.

"You're not doing anything illegal, are you?" Korsak asked worriedly.

Maura shrugged, "I hope not."

And just like that, she was gone. Korsak was left staring after her with worry. Something bad was about to happen. It had to be.


	14. Screaming Relations

The next time Sophie Devereaux awoke, her hospital room was busy with activity. Parker was grinning at her while an oddly familiar looking curly-haired brunette woman was in deep conversation with Nate. Hardison was beside the thief like always but his usual smile was nothing more than a frown of worry. He looked absolutely fearful of her. Then blonde became the only view as the thief encircled her in a tight, suffocating hug.

"Sophie, you're awake!" Parker shouted in triumph, doing her absolute best to suffocate the grifter further, "I'm so glad you're awake! They told us you were never going to but they were wrong!"

"Parker," Hardison yelled in alarm and worry, "Parker, she needs to breathe!"

The thief jumped away from the grifter as if she had been burned. She turned an apologetic smile towards the grifter and made a show of putting her arms behind her back.

"I'm really glad you're awake, Sophie," she said.

The grifter stared at her in complete confusion. Then she turned towards the vaguely familiar brunette and the mastermind. She blinked and caught a familiar pair of amber eyes.

"Is it just me or is Parker in the same room as a police detective?" She asked, staring directly at the hacker as she spoke.

The hacker broke out into a series of laughs at that. His laughter was loud and boisterous and could probably be heard throughout the entire hospital. All of the tension on his face disappeared in his laughs. The grifter even managed to get some tears out of him. Then he too was squeezing her tight.

"I'm glad you're okay, Soph," he whispered into her ear.

Then he released her from his grasp. Sophie turned towards the mastermind and the detective again. She blinked away the drugs and tried to sit up. Nate immediately pushed her back down and shook his head. The grifter sent him a glare but allowed him to win the battle anyway. She was too tired to argue.

"What brings you here, Detective Rizzoli?" She asked instead.

"We need to know what happened the night you were stabbed," Rizzoli explained softly.

Sophie frowned at the detective's statement. She looked to Nate for any sign of what she was supposed to say. For his part, he fluffed her pillows and planted a few kisses along her forehead.

"Tell her the truth, Soph," he whispered into her ear.

The grifter turned towards him with alarm on her features.

"It's alright," he encouraged with a charming smile, "I'll be here."

"Alright," the grifter agreed staring at the mastermind the entire time, "I'll answer whatever questions you have for me."

Jane smiled at the grifter's words. She turned towards the rest of the thieves and nodded her head in the direction of the door.

"Alright," she said, "I'm going to need you to leave guys. I need Ms. Devereaux's statement to be as uncontaminated as I can get it."

"But she just woke up," Hardison complained.

"It's alright," Nate told them, "You guys have a job to do anyway. Sophie will be awake when you guys get back, I'm sure."

"Okay," Parker nodded.

She and Hardison left without any complaints after that. The hacker had already gained control of his phone and was looking for their target as they left.

"You're going to have to leave too, Nate," Rizzoli replied, "You're still a suspect even if Eliot confessed."

"What?" Sophie shouted with wide black eyes. The drugs must have been doing something to her volume control because everybody winced at her question.

"We can't take the chance that he…" Rizzoli began.

"No!" Sophie shouted clinging to the mastermind's arm like a two year old, "He can't leave! He has to stay."

She was suddenly sitting upright in her bed and leaning heavily into the mastermind. Nate, for his part, was trying his hardest not to have a panic attack at what she was doing. Beeps and other kinds of mechanical noises were sounding through the air. The drugs weren't enough for the pain anymore. The grifter's midsection was burning with white hot pain.

Nate grabbed onto the grifter and pushed her back into the mattress. He held her still as she tried to fight him off. Then he slammed his mouth on top of hers until she was too stunned to move. He pushed away and allowed the nurses to take control. They were pumping medicine into her veins and monitoring every inch of her stitching.

"Whew," one of the nurses said, "She didn't pull any stitches but she definitely came close. What happened?"

"I told Nate… uh, Mr. Baker to leave," Rizzoli replied, stunned.

"And what exactly are you doing her, Detective Rizzoli?" the nurse demanded in a snippy tone, "I told you, Mrs. Baker needs to rest before you ask her any questions. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

At the nurse's word the grifter latched onto the mastermind's arm and shook her head violently. She tried to say something but exhaustion was pulling her away.

"I'm not leaving," the mastermind whispered into her ear, "I will never leave you again."

And just like that, the grifter was out.

%

"Great," Jane groaned in disapproval, "Now we're never going to get the chief to agree to giving us more time."

"What about the evidence we gave you?" Parker growled towards the detective. She didn't take kindly to people who were mean to her family members. She had already decided she hated the detective when the grifter had her panic attack.

"Chief says it's not enough," the detective replied, "All it shows is that he has the ability to be the backer. We need something to show that he is the backer."

"Then I guess it's a good thing I'm here," Maura Isles smiled as she entered the room, "Because Korsak and I have a pretty good hypothesis that I'm almost dead certain Mr. Hardison will be able to prove correct."

"What do you need?" The hacker asked immediately.

"I need to know if Hughes had any siblings that wouldn't be in his file," she explained softly.

The hacker stared at her in disbelief. He quickly turned towards the mastermind with a questioning, hopeful gaze. Nate gave a slight nod and the hacker pulled the thief with out of the room with him as they flew towards the van at top speed.

"You should follow them, Dr. Isles," Nate suggested softly, "He'll forget you're not on com and expect me to repeat him word for word."

"Then I guess I'll go," she said, walking out of the door quite quickly.

"So what are we going to do?" Jane asked, staring at the grifter in calculation.

The mastermind's eyes fell to the unconscious grifter. His jaw tightened as thoughts of the grifter's reaction probably went through his mind.

"We wait," he declared softly, "She'll wake up and give you all of the answers you need."

"Sounds like a plan," she agreed.

"And I won't be leaving her," he declared sternly.

The detective made no sound of dismissal at his suggestion.

%

Dr. Maura Isles entered the van completely amazed by the modifications. There was a computer on one side of the van wall. A shelving unit was located directly beside it. There was a fold-out seat in the middle of the shelving unit and two more fold-outs stood directly across from it. The hacker was sitting in a rolling chair at the built-in desk, working furiously at the computer system. The thief was sitting at his side in another fold-out seat. She was sucking on a lollipop and asking questions right and left. The hacker didn't even break a sweat as he tried to answer each and every one of her questions. They both were nervously avoiding the topic of the grifter's episode.

"May I come in?" The doctor asked.

"Yeah," the hacker nodded, "What do you need me to do?"

"Any minute now Korsak should be calling me with information on who paid for Joshua Hughes' trial."

"You think whoever paid for the trial is the one funding the bill," Hardison nodded at the play, "That could work. I could probably check it online but it would probably be best if you guys find it through legal means."

"We also don't copy files into the system at least six months to a year later," Isles nodded.

"That's a lot of files to scan," the hacker commented with wide eyes.

"Imagine life before computers," Maura smiled at the kindred spirit she had in the world renowned hacker.

"I bet it involved better learned children with higher IQ's and even better reading levels," Parker proposed softly, "and they probably had a better understanding of how to communicate with each other quite easily. Plus personal letters were actually read instead of considered junk-mail."

The doctor's phone rang just in time.

"Korsak?" Maura asked, "Okay, what did you find?"

The doctor watched as the thief and the hacker subconsciously leaned forward to listen. She quietly wondered if they even bugged her phone. It was definitely plausible.

"The lawyer was Jeffery Dawson," the doctor nodded, "Okay, thank you. Keep us posted."

The hacker was already typing away as quickly as he could when the doctor flipped her phone shut. She could see the names running through the system. She didn't quite understand why there were so many but she was highly interested by what she saw. Alec Hardison had his programs running to identify name, association with the mark and past victims, as well as facial recognition to the airport security footages of Portland and Boston. It was quite impressive.

"Got it," the hacker cheered, "Jeffery Dawson is a lawyer who graduated from Harvard. He was fifth in the graduating class of ninety-nine. And he has a long list of bad guy associates. It's going to take me a while to narrow down the list of suspects. There are quite a few victims on our list."

"That could be the connection," Maura replied, "It is absolutely plausible that at least one of your old marks had the money to fund something this big."

"Yes but I monitor all transactions," Hardison agreed, "It would have to be from a bank account I'm not aware of. I've spent days of my life making certain I've found those accounts."

"Then the person is a connection outside of prison," Parker cheered, "That should narrow down the search."

"And consider widening it to include people you have come across during your cons," the doctor proposed softly, "A former client may have been black-mailed into giving information to a corporate head or somebody as simple as a cop gone bad could be it."

"Done," the hacker said, grinning at the doctor's idea highly impressed, "you're not too bad, Doc."

"Thank you," she said, smiling in return.

The computer whizzed and whirled with bright flashing lights. The hacker immediately started typing away to see what they had.

"Well," he said, "Our list has narrowed down considerably. There are only three candidates left and I am currently running them through Joshua Hughes' files now. If there's any connection we should be able to find it."

"Try Hughes' parents," Maura supplied, "I think there might be a close relative involved."

"Based on what?" Parker demanded softly.

Maura shrugged.

"Just a hunch," she said.

The hacker added the information with broad references of familial status. The phrase third cousin four times removed flashed upon the screen before a few more odd statements replaced it. The computer images scrolled in a rhythmical motion as the hacker worked. The computer beeped and the hacker whistled in alarm.

"It looks like Daddy was one frisky teen," he said.

"You found something," Parker said, perking up at the prospect. There was no question in her confidence of the hacker's skills.

"He's got a brother," Hardison growled, "and you're not going to like who it is, Mama."

"Who?" Parker hissed in disgust. Her thoughts had obviously turned dark all of a sudden.

"Don Paolo Brancato," the hacker replied.

%

Nate paced the hospital room floor with quick, meaningful steps. His right hand was firmly tucked under his chin in a fist while he marched to the door and back to the grifter's bed again and again. He even added in a pause to push back any stray hairs in the grifter's face before beginning his incessant pacing. He couldn't help but note off-handedly that the detective was slowly getting agitated.

"We had a treaty," he growled, "We took down Hughes before we even met him. If he had a problem with us he should have brought it to the table in the very beginning."

"I'm not saying I don't agree with you, Nate," the hacker replied, "but-"

"I guess mob guys on the West Coast don't have the same morals as the ones on the East," Jane joked mildly effectively drowning out the rest of the hacker's statement.

"Hardison, repeat that last bit," Nate snarled into his ear. He couldn't help the angry glare he shot the detective's way either. His nerves were already fried long before he entered the hospital five days ago. Being a people person was the last thing on his mind.

"Sorry," Jane muttered before the hacker finished up his summary.

"But the guy knew our reputation before we got there," he said, "Now we know where. I'm just sorry I didn't make the connection sooner and saved ourselves the trouble. Brancato's father isn't even on his birth certificate. I had to find it through a kidney donation he made to some cousin they share in Fresno. Frankly, I'm amazed I even found it this time."

"This time we have a forensic scientist and the top homicide detective in Boston helping us out," the mastermind sighed, "Besides, you were told to only find close family members. If you had to expand your search out of normal family tree lines than it wasn't your fault."

"I don't think Brancato okayed the hit, Nate," Parker chimed in, her voice carrying a heavy amount of dread and certainty.

"Why is that?" He asked.

He bit down on his tongue hard to stop the amount of curses he had chosen specifically for the thief's theory. He knew she was a smart woman and she wouldn't have made her opinion known if she didn't have something to back it up. She was trying to put his guilty mind at ease too. But Sophie was currently lying in a hospital bed still looking far too pale to him. His temper was beginning to boil over the closer they got to revenge. He could taste it.

"Because Brancato only worked hard to transfer twenty million dollars to an account in the Cayman Islands," Hardison replied, "He also seems to have a couple of passports and I.D.s being processed for departure."

"He's sending his brother to Botswana," Parker summed up impatiently, "Nate, he's trying to get his brother out of the country."

"But some of that money was accessed early," Hardison explained, "and I bet you already have an idea where it went."

"That's why Hughes needed Duberman," Nate nodded, "to bust into his escape fund early."

"From what I can tell online," Hardison finished, "Brancato didn't know."

"And if he did," Parker added softly, "He's not very happy. His account is already being closed and transferred."

"But Duberman already has the account numbers so that won't do anything but slow him down," Nate nodded, "Tell you what we're going to do."

"Please, tell me it's legal," Jane chimed in with a bitter smile.

"Hardison," Nate smiled darkly towards her, "Call Brancato and have him meet us here in Boston to discuss this. If he is aware that this violates our treaty, we'll let him decide how to proceed. If he is unaware than we will give him a persuasive offer."

"And what offer would that be?" Rizzoli demanded in alarm. She even looked a bit appalled.

"Let's just say we have incriminating evidence against him that your department will gladly thank us for," Nate grinned at her, "and we'll even link him to Hughes' attempted break-out."

As if on cue, Korsak came running through the hospital door. He was huffing and puffing in place, his head between his knees. His cheeks were red and his skin looked sickly. He was a cop and still looked out of shape. He must have been running pretty fast.

"I tried," he huffed, "to get… Frost… to contact… you, but… he's… busy… stalling… the chief!"

"What is it?" Nate and Jane asked in perfect, urgent unison.

"Hughes…" Korsak replied, "has… escaped."

The room grew quiet with the speechless.

%

Hardison scrolled up and down the prison database information. He slammed his fist on the table in anger and quickly chugged down half a liter of soda in agitation. He grabbed onto the thief's hand and nodded softly.

"He's right, Nate," he said, "Hughes was reported missing during roll call for breakfast this morning. The only reason we are finding out about this now is because they searched his usual haunts first. Apparently the guy made a habit of pulling the disappearing act before he made his escape."

"Brancato planned this months ago," the mastermind agreed, "That's the only way for it to be so flawlessly executed. He sent a message to Hughes to make appear as something normal to make the report take longer."

"But Hughes missed his flight," Hardison replied, "Because neither of his brand new aliases are on any of the planes heading to Botswana or Portland."

"Facial recognition is also turning up empty at Logan and the rest of Boston's airports," Parker chimed, "This is including the privately owned."

"Could he beat you guys if he drove?" Maura demanded softly, "Traffic cameras are easier to identify when you're looking for them. Plus, it's just now sunset and Boston isn't very far from Binghamton Prison in New York."

"That's right," the thief said, "He wasn't noted missing until breakfast and he's only just now been reported. He could have had all night to get here without us noticing."

"My baby has been working on the software this entire time," the hacker defended solemnly, "but there are just too many cameras to check. I only had one going on real time and it just kept switching every fifteen seconds. He could have easily slipped in during any of those switches because they are random."

"Are the multiple cameras going to be a problem now?" The mastermind called. He sounded even more agitated than he was before. Apparently he had an idea all of them were quietly pretending wasn't an option.

"Now that I know the time frame I should be able to catch him soon," the hacker nodded, "I'm already working from Binghamton to see what make and model he escaped from."

"How long?" The thief questioned softly. She knew it was something the mastermind was going to ask but Hardison always responded better to soft pushing. Nate was in no mood to be soft at the moment. Besides, the mastermind was probably deciding on the best way to kill his young pupil.

"I should have the information in four hours at the least," Hardison replied, "but I'm going to have to go off coms to do it. I'm also going to need Parker's help. Either way we won't be on call if anything goes down."

There was a long pause on the coms as the mastermind absorbed this information. The silence stretched on for an eternity as the hacker and thief waited with bated breath. They didn't even dare to breathe too loudly in fear of missing the answer. Finally, Nate decided to calm their nerves.

"Would going back to your apartment make it any faster?" He asked.

Hardison smiled at his train of thought. Parker smiled too. They had brought all of the hacker's old toys out of storage and hooked them up throughout his place. All of the gear he had acquired during their time in Boston was setup with his new program designs from Portland. There they had everything they needed for this type of situation.

"It will at the very least double the time," Hardison replied, "Though give me an hour and I will probably amaze you."

"Go," Nate ordered simply.

The thief and hacker smiled and nodded in understanding. Hardison immediately started packing up their stuff while Parker grabbed the keys. She would be the one driving and there would be no complaints from her boyfriend about it tonight. They were on a mission.

"Before you go," Maura added, opening the door to signal that she was staying, "Will you do me a favor and sweep the place for any bugs and call me with the results?"

"You want to make certain Hughes had the ability to copy all of our voices?" The hacker asked without a stop, "Or do you just want to see how he was able to get the blackmail on Eliot?"

"Both," the doctor replied.

"We'll see what we can do," the thief called, already turning on the engine and revving up the gas pedal, "Better close the door and run. I don't stop unless I have to."

The doctor nodded her head once and slammed the door shut. Parker kindly waited until she saw Maura walking into the building before she took off. Hardison didn't even have time to buckle his seatbelt they were going so fast.


	15. Another Attack

When Maura entered the hospital room, it was to the sight of Korsak, Nate and Jane in deep discussion. Though they were on the opposite side of the room, the criminal mastermind was definitely angled in a way where he could get to the grifter quickly. He was worried. A feeling the doctor shared as she thought about the last time the grifter had been awake. Something was wrong.

"Do you want me to get a nurse to come in?" She asked as she closed the door behind her.

Nate shook his head. "She already stopped by," he said, "Sophie should be waking at any moment but it's no surprise that she hasn't. Sleeping is the best thing for her right now."

"What are you guys discussing?" Maura asked softly.

The mastermind's eyes fell towards the grifter once again. He was silently counting her breaths to make certain she was still alive.

"The case, Maura," Jane replied softly, "We're trying to figure out if our information is enough to keep the chief from declaring the case solved and forcing our hand in arresting Nate and his team."

"Let's not forget that we have custody over the grifter in that bed over there," Korsak pointed out, "Chief's not going to let us get rid of her very easily."

"Get rid of her?" Nate growled, "You're talking about her as if she's some sort of-"

"The chief ordered us to keep her under surveillance," Jane translated before the mastermind could blow up or something just as bad, "Once this case is over she is officially our next case."

"We're currently working on getting a plea bargain started for her to testify," Korsak sighed with a note of apology deep within his voice, "The information we have should get us the right to charge Hughes once we find him. We're going to use that to get Eliot to accept a plea deal by testifying as well."

"What about the rest of my team?" Nate demanded harshly, "We're not going to just leave Sophie after everything."

"We figured you already had a plan for that," Korsak said, staring at the mastermind in complete shock.

"Two words," he replied, "Plausible Deniability."

Korsak nodded and smiled at the mastermind's words. There was indeed a plan brewing and it most definitely included the grifter in there somehow. There was going to be a lot of paperwork afterwards.

"The only way the chief is going to allow us to question Hughes is if he's in Boston and is a liable threat," Jane added softly, "otherwise all of this is just hearsay."

"Hardison found the evidence," Nate argued.

"Evidence obtained illegally," Korsak reminded softly, "We can't prove he was the one who hired Eliot unless we catch him in the act. The only thing we can get him on is escaping prison. Spencer's still going to get the maximum for this even with the confession."

"We don't know where he is," Jane sighed, "For all we know he could have already stopped by to check out his handy-work before hightailing it out of the country."

"No," Maura shook her head, "I read his file. He's not the type to just let his revenge go unfulfilled."

"But it's not unfulfilled," Korsak said, "Spencer's on his way to prison and Ms. Devereaux is currently in the hospital."

"But he had one major goal in mind," Maura agreed softly, "He wants Nate to suffer."

"He went through a lot of trouble just to get Eliot in prison for an attempted murder," the mastermind sighed in agreement, "He's coming to Boston to finish the job."

"But who is the target?" Maura nodded at the mastermind's thoughts, "Because he should know by now that Sophie's guarded by the police."

"I think you've got a theory in mind," Nate replied, a bitter smile appearing on his face and anger boiling in his eyes.

"I think he's waiting for you," the doctor sighed in response, "but I think it's only a matter of time before he decides to change his target."

"Right," Jane nodded. Then she turned towards the mastermind just to read his thoughts on the situation, "Hughes should know that you're not going to leave Sophie's side anytime soon. You and your team haven't been free of our forces since this whole thing began. It would be suicide to come after you now. Well, not suicide but stupid none the less."

"And he's obviously not stupid," Nate agreed, "What is he waiting for?"

"Nate," Maura gasped, fear deep within her voice, "You need to warn the others."

%

"Alright, Mama," Hardison chimed, "You look through all of the traffic cameras on the East and South Side while I look on the North and West."

"Will that make things faster?" Parker demanded softly.

"Not fast enough," the hacker replied.

The thief didn't even bother to reply to his statement. She just made quick work of their locked door and flew into their workhouse. The hacker was right behind her, turning on lights and making certain no unwanted visitors were there. They were taking no chances. They were going to move through the computer mainframe to find there mark, tell the police exactly where Hughes was and get out. They weren't going to be far from their grifter for very long.

"Do you think we should get Sophie some flowers on our way back to the hospital?" Parker asked once she was all set to view her designated traffic cameras. "Sick people love flowers."

Hardison turned towards the thief and tried to decipher what was worrying her. The only thing he could do was grab her hand and rub circles in it. So that was exactly what he did. Then he planted a soft kiss to the side of her head and refused to release her hand.

"Focus, Parker," he ordered softly, "Let's focus on making certain Joshua Hughes will never hurt our family again. Then we'll worry about flowers."

"Yeah," the thief nodded, "and we'll buy the biggest bouquet of flowers we can get so she will never try to leave us again."

The hacker laughed at the thief's thinking process. Of course she would automatically assume bribery was the only way to keep their grifter from harm. Heck no. Hardison had plans. He was going to glue her door shut and keep the grifter in a very roomy cage. Nate would be allowed to visit this cage but he wouldn't be allowed to let her out. This plan was only temporary because the hacker was going to make quick work of finding a better safe house. Yeah, and he was going to deck it out with all of the grifter's favorite things. He was going to make certain she never wanted to leave so they would never have to worry about 'the incident' ever happening again. The problem was trying to find a safe way for Sophie Devereaux to continue grifting without leaving said safe house.

"You know," Parker muttered softly, "We had the best security imaginable in Sophie's house. The only way for Hughes to defeat it was to hire Eliot. We're the only ones who can beat each other. We're our own weakness."

Well, his plan would have never worked anyway. Sophie would con her way out of the cage before breakfast.

"I know, Mama," he sighed, "but if we find our mark, we're going to never have to worry about this ever again. This whole mess will be done."

The thief nodded sharply. There was a moment where she looked as though she was going to say something else, but she shook her head. She started looking through each and every one of the traffic cameras with hope on her features. She was determined to find the grifter's almost killer and nothing was going to stop her from doing just that.

"I found Hughes!" Hardison cheered in his seat.

The thief was immediately at his side in moments flat, her face staring into the screen intently. She growled at the man and the hacker quickly pulled her close to offer up some kind of comfort.

"It's not much," the hacker agreed, "but it will narrow down our search quite a bit. Now we know what type of vehicle to look for. All we need to do now is put in the license plate, make, model and year and we will be able to find him."

"Hardison," she said with pride in her voice.

"You're right," he nodded too in his head to realize she was on the cusp of kissing him senseless, "That's not enough. We'll plug in the coordinates of the hospital and Sophie's apartment house thing as a precaution."

The thief smiled at her man's handy-work. Then she pulled his face so they were merely inches apart. She planted her lips on top of his in a searing kiss to rival some of the best. She pulled away with a wide smile and excitement blazing in her eyes.

"You're right," the hacker replied in a stunned and unsure tone, "We'll create a fifty mile radius around each to give us some time. Now get on it, Mama."

The thief licked her lips in reply. She raced towards her designated spot and started typing away like a madman. The hacker watched her go, mesmerized. He smiled cheekily at his girl.

"You're killing me, Mama," he said.

Then he turned towards his computer and began to type away as if nothing had ever happened. He was plugging in coordinate after coordinate, trying to find the man responsible for all of their troubles. He wouldn't rest until he did and neither would the thief. They were in for a long night but they had the right precautions set. All they would have to do was find Hughes and they would be set. His eyes flashed to the bug he and Parker had found in his van.

It was the same type within the grifter and hitter's houses. There was no doubt in his mind that there were some in his as well. So he had entered a countermeasure to block all transmissions. Then he got out his cell and sent a quick text to the doctor.

_We have bugs_, he wrote, _the one in my van says it has the ability for vocal manipulation. You're right. The affair was faked._

He pressed send on the phone and politely waited a few seconds to make certain it sent as intended. He was pleased to find it had indeed done as he asked. He returned to his cameras and watched as they determined several black Dodge Intrepids were not their suspects. He even got a few that were the wrong year and made the quick adjustment. His phone buzzed again and he quickly reached for it. He was distracted from reading it by a panicked ping and the thief yelping in fear.

"What is it?" He demanded with fear in his every fiber.

He was at the thief's side in moments and begging for some good news. Instead he got Parker curled into his arms and latching onto his neck in a tight hug that was completely uncharacteristic of the tiny thief. His eyebrows narrowed in confusion as he tried to decipher what had spooked her so much. He stared at the computer for any sign. All he found was Joshua Hughes staring back at him.

The man was balding and thinner then he remembered. His glasses were broken in several places. Scruff was starting to grow into a beard on his face. His eyes looked black in the security photo, as if he was dead within them. He was wearing a cheap Armani suit that looked a little too big for him in the shoulders and too long in the legs. He was standing outside of his car with a greedy smile on his features.

The hacker tried to figure out why the thief was so disturbed by the image. She was used to seeing their victims in prison looking worse than this. What would force her to be so fearful? Then the hacker's eyes flickered to the coordinates and time stamp. It was Sophie's safe house, not her pretend house. The guy was standing outside of the grifter's emergency home with anger in his expression.

"He knows Sophie's alive," Parker whispered into his ear, "He's not very happy about it either."

The hacker had no time to think about the thief's new ability to read people. He just stepped around her, clinging to her tightly to make certain she never left, and started pressing buttons. He had the GPS coordinates of Hughes' moving car in seconds flat. His eyes grew wide with fear as he recognized the street pattern.

"Get in the van," he ordered of the thief sternly, "I left our coms in there. You're driving, Mama, and you better go faster than you have ever gone before."

"You found him?" Parker asked. The fear in her voice had diminished into anger at that knowledge alone. She even smiled evilly just to prove how much of a nightmare she was going to cause.

"Yeah," Hardison gulped, "and we're in trouble."

%

"Hardison and Parker!"

Sophie screamed at the top of her lungs, lunging forward and making white pain grow throughout her abdomen. Tears were falling from her eyes as she tried to gain a vision of her surroundings. She fought with the thin covers wrapped around her legs and struggled to get to her feet. She turned right and left in search of the mastermind for help. His arms encircled her immediately.

"Calm down," he said, "I'm here. Everything's fine. You were just having a bad dream."

"No, it wasn't a bad dream," she gasped, grasping his hand to get him to understand, "Nate, I'm alive!"

"I know that," Nate replied in confusion.

"Eliot failed," she said, "We were under careful surveillance every moment of the day. We had to be if Eliot worked so hard to make his demands happen."

"Yeah, we already know about the bugs," Jane shrugged in reply making her presence known to the grifter, "What does that mean?"

"He knows I'm not dead," Sophie sputtered hysterically, "Nate, he knows I'm alive and the choice was me or them!"

"I sent Hardison and Parker back to their apartment," the mastermind replied catching onto the grifter's train of thought in seconds flat.

"And Hardison already proved that he had bugs everywhere," Maura nodded at the thinking process.

"He knows the others aren't protected," Jane gasped.

Nate touched his ear and started speaking into the coms.

"Hardison! Parker, get out of there!" He said.

He waited a few seconds and his eyes grew wide with fear and worry. The grifter's chest tightened at his horrifying expression. She grabbed his hand and he gladly squeezed it back.

"Hardison! Parker, answer me!" He howled.

He shook his head in disgruntlement.

"They're not answering," he said, "Dammit! They still don't have their coms in."

"They're blind," Maura sighed.

"Nate, you're with me," Jane replied, "My car is out front. You're driving. Maura, stay here. We'll be back as soon as we can."

Maura nodded at the order while the grifter latched onto the mastermind's arm again. She looked at him fearfully and all he could do in return was give her the brightest smile he had.

"I'll be back," he promised.

Then he kissed her and followed the detective out of the room as quickly as his feet would carry him.

"They'll get him, Sophie," Maura sighed, "Jane's the best at what she does and Nate seems determined to make certain you're avenged. Besides, Hardison and Parker are bound to put their coms back in."

"I know," the grifter nodded in agreement.

"Can I get you anything?" The doctor asked, purely because there was nothing else for her to say or do.

"A cup of tea would be brilliant," the grifter nodded, "I don't even care if it's proper British tea and maybe some Jell-O if you can manage it."

Maura smiled at the grifter's return of appetite so early in her recovery.

"I'll see what I can do," she said with a wink.

The grifter smiled in solemn victory as she watched the doctor leave. She straightened up a bit in her bed and kindly waited for her end to come. Eliot told her that Hughes only had one target in mind. It wouldn't be long before he came to finish the hitter's job.

%

Nate was speeding through the traffic at top speed. He would beep the horn in agitation every time a vehicle would dare to get in his way. He was changing gears so fast the car probably was never going to work the same.

"Where's the light?" He demanded angrily.

Jane ignored his rude tone.

"I can't find it," she hollered towards him, "I told you to give me five seconds to look for the damn thing before you pulled out."

"If I did that we wouldn't be as close as we are," he growled, "They're on the opposite side of town. We're already too far away as it is. I'm just trying to make in time to save them!"

"At least slow down," Jane pleaded in futility. She knew he wouldn't. "You're breaking at least a dozen laws right now."

"I'm a thief!" He replied, "Do you honestly think I care about a few traffic laws?"

Well, she couldn't exactly argue with that. So she just shrugged her shoulders and sat back. If anybody tried to pull them over she would just show her badge and explain what was going on. They could probably even get a police escort out of the deal.

"Hardison!" The mastermind yelled.

"They're back on their coms?" Jane asked with hope in her voice.

He just shook his head in reply.

"This makes no sense," he said, "Why would Hughes choose to attack now? His sources should be telling him that you've got the case. It's madness to attack people who know you're coming. Especially when it's Hardison and Parker, mainly Parker."

"Is it possible that Sophie could be wrong?" The detective asked, "She hasn't said anything about the incident yet and had a flip out when I asked to talk to her in private. Maybe she has information that could help explain this?"

"No," the mastermind shook his head in doubt, "I would have heard it in her tone. Once she admitted it-"

He trailed off and his gaze became glossy. His speed even began to slow. The detective waited for him to divulge whatever information he discovered. Instead her only reply was a nervous look at a U-turn.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Her voice," he said, "It was shrill, right?"

"Yes," Jane nodded in confusion, "She sounded completely terrified of the concept that your friends were about to be attacked."

"No," Nate replied, "She risked injury and snapped out of a dead sleep to tell us Hughes was going to come after the others. She knew we would react that way."

"Are you saying she faked a nightmare?"

"No," Nate denied, "I'm saying she just realized something. Her breathing rate didn't suggest sleep. The nurse said for all intents and purposes she should have snapped out of it sooner."

"She wasn't really asleep," Jane agreed, "Which means she was listening to our conversation."

"Whatever she heard," Nate supplied, "She figured out something tied to Dr. Isles' theory."

"Hughes had a brother in the mob," Jane suggested boldly, "Do you think that could… Eliot's statement said the photos were pretty convincing."

"But most of them were…?" The mastermind pushed urgently.

"Most of them were of Sophie," Jane gasped in sudden realization, "He had her schedule, the layout of her house and her allergies."

"Dammit!" Nate growled, taking a U-turn at an almost dangerous speed.

"They were never after the others," Jane groaned, "Sophie was the only target this entire time. Hughes' men only took pictures of the others to convince Eliot to be the one to do the job."

"Because losing your girlfriend at the hand of your best friend is the worst crime to ever have," Nate agreed in a single hiss through his teeth, "I should have seen this coming!"

"It would split the team," Jane growled in agreement, "Divide and concur. Everybody with ears has heard the rumors about your relationship with Devereaux. After your father's death, who better to destroy you than the only thing you weren't prepared for?"

"Death by broken heart," the mastermind agreed.

Silence lapsed between them.

%

Hughes was patiently waiting until the specified time Duberman's program gave him. He stood at the corner just outside the grifter's hospital room. His eyes were glued to his watch as he mentally counted down the minutes until his victory arrived. Then, at six o'clock exactly as promised, the guards suddenly received an order on their radio. They both stared at each other in surprise. Then they quickly gathered their weapons and raced away at top speed.

Hughes giggled at the retreating fools, carefully keeping his face out of sight. The fools thought they were reporting to a triple vehicular crash with multiple victims. They had no idea that the call was false and it would take them at least five minutes to discover this.

So, the ruined man quickly walked towards the grifter's room. He looked both ways to make certain he was clear. Then he twisted the doorknob and entered.

Revenge was on its way.

%

A crackle came upon the coms. Hardison's voice started filling the mastermind's ears. The young man sounded in a panic, as if he was alarmed by something.

"Nate!" The hacker yelled at the top of his lungs, "You have absolutely no idea what we just discovered. Parker and I were off coms because we wanted to focus solely on the video feeds. Well, as we were watching a clip of Joshua Hughes speeding through an EZ pass lane. I froze the image and managed to compile all of the information we had to-"

"Hardison," Nate's voice called.

"I found Joshua Hughes," the hacker replied.

"He's going to finish the job," Nate agreed, "I'm already going back to the hospital."

"Nate, he's on his way to Sophie's room right now!" Hardison screamed into the coms, "He's almost there."

The mastermind pressed his foot harder onto the gas pedal. He urged the detective's car faster. He knew they were already too late.

"Tell them to call Maura," Rizzoli ordered briskly, "She's the only one close enough to get there in time."

"Already on it," Hardison replied.

The car was speeding through traffic right and left. The mastermind was determined to get there sooner. Anger and rage were pumping through his heart. He was determined to get there in time to catch Hughes in the act. He was determined to kill the man if Sophie died.


	16. Capturing the Escapee

Hughes smiled at the sight before him. The dark-haired beauty was sitting up in bed, patiently waiting for her end. That was awfully kind of her.

"Hello Ms. Kroy," Hughes remarked smoothly, "Of course, new sources have informed me that you prefer to go by the name of Devereaux now."

"That is correct Joshua," the grifter replied with a pained smile.

Good, he thought, she's still in pain from the first round. At least I know she'll suffer again.

"What exactly is your plan, Joshua?" She demanded. She sounded impatiently as if she was ready to get this over as quickly as he was. That was interesting.

"Didn't your hitter tell you before he plunged his knife into your little black heart?" He asked with only the slightest touch of a whine to his voice.

"Why are you targeting Nate?" The grifter spat back, and with venom too, "He's no threat to you."

"On the contrary," Hughes replied, "He's the one responsible for putting me behind bars where I do not belong. Isn't that reason enough to destroy him?"

"He didn't do it alone," the dark-haired beauty hissed in reply, "We were all a part in it."

"And your hitter is currently paying for his part," Hughes agreed, "Your hacker and thief will be next once I take care of you. OH, don't worry. I'm not going to kill them. It's your mastermind I can't guarantee the safety of. The others are going to suffer by watching."

"Parker will kill you before you even have the chance," the grifter replied with a shrug, "You're not going to succeed as you so strongly believe."

"No?" Hughes laughed, "Come on, Sophie. We both know Nathan isn't as young as he used to be. He's not going to be able to stop me from killing you and that's all I need to destroy him completely."

"You have no idea who you're dealing with," the grifter promised. It sounded as if desperation was starting to pour into her vocal chords, excellent.

"I did my research this time around," he replied, "I know all about your precious mastermind and what he nearly did after his father died. I can only imagine how far over the edge he will go once he discovers that you are no longer with him."

"You're not going to get away with this," she said. Fear was now dominating her every feature. Hughes thought she somehow managed to look even more beautiful because of it.

"I already have," he promised.

He pulled out a syringe and watched as the grifter struggled to catch his wrist. She even managed to cling onto it for some time. But she had missed a very important step as she watched him inch closer and closer to her bed during their conversation. She missed the part where he had a remote control that over-rode the morphine counter. All he had to do was pour a little more into her system and she would be completely useless, putty in his hands.

The grifter struggled a little bit more to keep the syringe away from her IV drip. Her grip slackened just enough as the drugs poured into her. Hughes took his advantage and pushed down on the plunger of the syringe. The clear liquid mixed with the concoctions already in the grifter's system. The dark-haired beauty whimpered in defeat as the rest of her strength gave out. Her hands were even shaking from the struggle.

"Good-bye, Ms. Devereaux," Hughes purred.

Then he slammed his lips on top of hers to show he had possession and all of the power. She was too weak to even fight him as his tongue fell into her mouth. She couldn't even bite down. But her eyes were blazing with hatred-filled fire when he finally came up for air.

"It's been a pleasure," he mocked as he started to leave.

"He's going to make you wish for death in the end," she called after him.

Her voice was already whisper thin. He could even hear the slight shake as she began to fall into oblivion for one final time. Hughes looked back at his evil deed. Her black eyes were already closed and her breathing was starting to still. The alarms would be too late for her. She would be dead soon.

The evil man smiled in triumph of his victory. His brother gave him the amazing get away plan and he was going to take it. Botswana was only his first stop though. He would quickly head over to San Lorenzo to inform Damien Moreau of his triumph while the other man stood behind his prison bars. Hughes' smile grew wider at the little fact. He succeeded where even the most notorious criminal of all time had failed. He had defeated Nathan Ford. It was going to be a wonderful day.

%

Nathan ripped through the hospital as quickly as his feet could carry him. He was already marching through the corridor when he noticed Hughes in the distance. His heart stopped at the sick, twisted grin of victory on his face. The mastermind slammed through the grifter's door and nearly died at the sight.

Her midsection was covered in blood. Her ghost white sheets were already dripping with the red liquid. No alarms sounded though. So the mastermind rushed towards his girlfriend and tugged out each and every tube he could find. He threw the saline bag away and checked for a pulse. Sophie was almost gone, the pulse barely moving beneath her skin.

Rage coursed through the mastermind's veins. He rushed past Detective Rizzoli without even a look back. He knew where Hughes was going and the fool was skipping towards it without a worry or a care. The man was going to leave through those hospital doors. He wouldn't let him.

"Maura, get the doctors!" Jane called out from somewhere nearby.

He heard something of an acknowledgement before he disappeared behind a wall. Hughes was at the other end, walking with purpose but not with any alarm. He had no idea the mastermind was on his trail. Nate smiled at that information and pushed himself to run harder.

He rounded the corner just as Hughes became aware of his presence. The man looked back and his cheeky grin turned to horror. Nate growled towards the man's hasty retreat. He felt his feet dig into the ground until he was mere inches away from his enemy. He lunged towards the man, tackling him to the ground. His fists did the rest of the work.

"Stop!" Hughes howled in pain, "Please, somebody help me!"

"Shut up," the mastermind ordered.

He popped the guy in the mouth as many times as he could, not stopping even when the satisfying droplets of blood began to seep from the other man's nose. All the mastermind could do was punch harder and harder until he was certain the man would never hurt his family again.

"Nate, get off of him!" Jane ordered from directly behind him.

"He killed her," Nate responded in kind.

His hands were suddenly wrapping around the man's neck, squeezing it with all of his might. He even felt a tiny thrill at the bottom of his spine as the man began to pry at his fingers, fighting for air. He heard the click of a gun getting ready to fire.

"Do it or I will shoot," Jane growled.

"Do it," Nate dared, pressing harder into the man's neck.

He enjoyed the look of fear in Hughes' eyes. He loved the way the man's skin was starting to change colors. He would not have much longer to live and it was such an exhilarating feeling. Even the blood pouring from his victim's nose was coming slower.

"Nathan, let him go!" Jane ordered again.

There was a note of fear in her voice. That made the mastermind pause. His grip slackened just enough for Hughes to regain his proper color. He had no energy to fight him off though. Hughes was just a sitting duck ready for the mastermind to end. His fingers even itched to wrap around the man's neck again, excited by the thrill of destroying the grifter's murderer.

"Nate!" Jane screamed towards him.

The mastermind pushed off of his victim and hissed in disgust. He glared daggers into Detective Rizzoli's relieved face. She ignored him completely and fired off a round into the victim's leg. Hughes squealed in agony but he stopped inching forward. Apparently he was trying to escape through the automatic doors.

Jane holstered her weapon. Her brother and another cop picked Hughes up off of the ground. Hughes cried and struggled against them but it was useless. His disgruntled pleas were easily covered by Jane's mandatory report of the Miranda Rights. Nate didn't really care.

He was too busy picturing all of the different ways he could get at Hughes while in prison. He wasn't going to wait for the system to sentence the man to another life term in prison. He wasn't even going to wait for the trial to begin. No, he was going to have Eliot talk to one of his friends and wait for the news on Hughes' demise. He was hoping it would be some poison that took days to kill. It would be very painful.

"Nate," Dr. Isles called out from somewhere far away.

The mastermind barely had time to figure out she was at Sophie's door before she was waving a hand in front of his face. He wanted to slap the happy smile off of her face, but he decided against it. Something in her eyes was penetrating his pain-filled fog. She was happy for a reason and it was making the tight knot in his chest loosen ever so slowly. He opened his mouth to speak but the only that flew out was one word.

"Sophie?"

Maura nodded. "She's fine," she said, "They're taking her into surgery right now but you popped the IV out in time. The solution did damage, don't get me wrong."

"But?" Nate gasped with excitement daring to enter the fray of emotions he could feel again.

"But not all of the scaring tissue was removed," the doctor replied, "I'm not an expert on Ms. Devereaux but if she's half as strong as I think she is, she'll pull through. Unless something happens during surgery she should be fine."

"But she's not out of the woods yet?" Nate asked.

"No," Maura shook her head sadly, "She's not out of the woods yet but you definitely increased her chances."

Before the mastermind could even dare to hope for such a miracle, the hospital doors flew open again.

"Sophie!" Hardison called out with wide eyes.

He was look everywhere for somebody he knew. His eyes briefly fell on Hughes and his amber orbs narrowed immediately. He took two steps forward before the mastermind was blocking his view.

"She's in surgery," Nate cried out, grabbing the younger man's shoulders to ensure that he didn't get any closer.

"What did he give her?" The hacker growled in answer. His eyes never once left their enemy.

"Something that removes platelets and keeps them from forming in the blood," Maura answered in hopes of alleviating any of the hacker's fears.

"So there's still a chance she could die?" Hardison asked of the mastermind.

He abruptly stopped pushing against the mastermind's determined arms. The hacker was shaking his head and looking on the verge of a mental break-down. His arms flew high into the air and he planted his hands on the top of his head to regain composure. Seconds later he was no longer about to lose his mind. Nate couldn't even help the pride flaring in his chest at the grifter's tutelage being used so wonderfully. Then he pulled the hacker into a rough, tight hug.

"She's going to be okay," he said, "I promise you she's going to be okay."

The hacker jumped at those words. He stared at the mastermind, bewildered. Hardison looked at him with absolute belief on his features. He knew what the mastermind meant. Nate never promised anything to anyone. He hadn't made promises since the day he promised Maggie he was going to get their son his treatment. When he failed he decided to never make a promise again. Apparently he couldn't even keep the ones he made to himself. Sophie was screwed.

A loud crack interrupted all other forms of conversation.

"You stay away from my family!" Parker growled from somewhere behind.

Nate noticed the hacker's eyes grew wide. He couldn't help but agree with the young man's assessment. He turned around in time to see Parker being restrained by three cops and both of the Rizzoli detectives. She was apparently trying to finish what Nate had started.

"Parker," Hardison called, rushing to the thief's side in a matter of seconds flat, "Parker, stop. It's okay. Nate says she's going to be okay. He promised."

The thief immediately froze at the hacker's words. Her blonde head whipped towards the mastermind with a questioning gaze. The cops released her, stunned by the sudden move. The thief didn't even give them a second look. She just rushed towards the mastermind as if her life depended on it. Then she slammed into him with the biggest hug her little body could create.

"You promised," she cried into his neck.

"Yeah," he replied, already regretting the action at the hope he created in his two youngest team-members.

"You never promise," she replied.

"I know, Parker," he squeezed her tighter and hoped against hope that his promise would be the truth this time around.

"Parker," Hardison cooed from right behind her.

The thief immediately turned around and attacked the hacker with a hug. Hardison returned it with a brave face. He was scared. The mastermind could see that even if he was twenty feet away. He knew the hacker too much now. There was no doubt in his mind that the young man would be on his phone, tapping away to discover the grifter's fate. He wasn't one to just sit and wait like the rest of them.

"We need to tell Eliot," Parker cooed abruptly.

The mastermind felt the familiar hatred searing through his bones. He had to force his teeth open to stop them from grinding each other into dust. He took the deepest breath he could and silently counted to three. He knew why the thief was thinking about their hitter. They all knew the truth. Eliot was trying to protect them by sacrificing one for the rest. But the mastermind wouldn't be forgiving him any time soon. He couldn't.

"Parker…" Nate began.

Thankfully a nurse popped up before he could hurt the thief further. Of course, that only made the mastermind panic even more. The surgery shouldn't have been finished so soon. He was a liar once again.

"Mr. Baker," the nurse said, moving towards the mastermind like she had for the past week alone, "I'm afraid I have some bad news."

The mastermind nodded his head in acknowledgement. Then he turned away and fought every instinct to run away. Instead he rushed to the closest wall and punched his fist into it. He bowed his head and allowed himself a few seconds of pain. He ignored the nurse calling his fake name. He pushed off the wall and turned towards her expectantly.

"When can I claim her body?" He demanded waspishly. He felt he didn't have to be nice anymore.

"She's not dead," the nurse smiled kindly towards him, "the bad news is that she will be spending the night in the ICU. You're going to have to actually go home and take care of yourself tonight, Mr. Baker. No more sleeping at her bedside, at least for tonight."

"She's alive?" Nate gasped.

He turned towards the thief and the hacker to see if they heard. They were too busy making out to even see his desperation. Hughes was stomping and throwing a tantrum in the corner. Dr. Isles and Detective Rizzoli were smiling broadly and nodding towards him with encouragement.

"She's alive," he realize happily. Of course, he couldn't help but grab the nurse and pull her into a hug. Then he pushed her away just enough to make certain she wasn't lying during the rest of his questioning. "Can I see her? Is there going to be any permanent damage? She can still walk, right? She's not going to suffer any sudden relapse or anything? I can see her, right?"

The nurse smiled again. "Of course you can see her," she said, "but I wouldn't get your hopes up too much on the other stuff yet. She's got a long road ahead of her when it comes to recovery. But considering how willing she is to live, I have no doubt that she will come out of this with nothing short but a miracle or two."

"Thank you," Nate laughed in excitement.

"I'll be back in a couple hours to escort you to her room," the nurse promised, "I wasn't even supposed to tell you she pulled through until after they finished cleaning. I've got to go before I get fired."

Nate looked towards Jane with a broad smile on his face. He felt something prickling at his eyes but he ignored it. There was a dark look on the detective's features and he needed to deal with it. His emotions could wait until he was reunited with Sophie again.

"What's wrong?" He asked, getting down to business as only he could.

"The case is closed," Jane explained, "Nate, we're going to have to arrest you and your team. You've got to get out of here."

"You let me worry about that," Nate replied with a wide smile on his face, "I'm going to visit Sophie."

And with that the mastermind left the detective to baffle with his statement and figure out what was going to happen next. He smiled despite himself when the hacker and thief started walking at his side. He knew they wouldn't be allowed into the room but that didn't matter. At least they were with each other and their grifter was alive.

"You know the chief is going to order for our arrest as soon as Hughes is done with processing," the hacker reminded softly.

"I know," the mastermind agreed.

"So what are we going to do about it?" The thief demanded fearfully.

The mastermind only smiled in reply as the nurse allowed him access to the grifter's room. He turned towards his youngest members and the smile grew wider at their confusion. All he did was wink as he opened the grifter's door and went in. He knew they would get the hint.

%

Jane slammed her hands on the table. Hughes didn't even flinch at her attempt of getting under his skin. If anything he seemed to crack a smile. He still thought he was winning. Well, they didn't really need a confession. They caught him in the act. All they needed was for him to tell them he hired Eliot and they would be all set. But the man knew what they were doing. He wasn't going to make it easy on them either.

"We have Duberman," Jane said, trying a different approach, "He's more than willing to testify that you hired Eliot Spencer to kill Sophie Devereaux."

"Duberman's a convicted felon just trying to get more time off of his sentence," Hughes replied smoothly, "and Eliot Spencer is a trained killer and thief. Nobody is going to believe what they say because of that alone. There is also the tiny fact that Ms. Devereaux is alive. How could I hire for her death when that didn't happen?"

"You're ridiculous," Jane growled, "You actually think you're getting away with this."

"The only thing you have on me is the fact that I was in the exact same hospital as Ms. Devereaux," Hughes replied villainously, "and that I escaped from prison yesterday."

"True but that spiky blonde who slapped you around yesterday," Jane replied with a growing smile, "It matched the syringe that was used to poison Sophie Devereaux. You want to know what else it matched. Your fingerprints are all over it."

"Evidence planted by the blonde who happens to be an associate of Mr. Spencer and Ms. Devereaux," Hughes smiled at the statement, "You're going to have to try a little harder than that."

"I have a signed statement from Ms. Devereaux," Jane shrugged at his offer, "A statement that says you were the one who put the poison into her IV. And the spiky blonde didn't touch it. I was there personally when she discovered it lying on the floor where you discarded it. Bad move by the way. You should have made certain it made it into the trash."

Hughes looked crestfallen at the announcement. Of course, he had no idea she was lying through her teeth. She saw Parker pick the syringe up out of the trash can. The video cameras that pointed to that specific area didn't contain it though. How Hardison had managed to edit every single one in a matter of hours and sleep, she had no idea. Hopefully, Maura would be successful with gathering up Sophie's statement. The good news was that she didn't have to ask the mastermind to leave in order to collect it. He agreed to stay far enough away where he couldn't influence the grifter but still be in the same room.

"I want to see the statement," Hughes demanded bitterly, "I want to see the statement that woman gave you!"

"Okay," Jane said for some reason she didn't even want to think about. She was secretly blaming Ford and his crew. They were apparently more influencing on her than she originally thought.

"But please remember that we have several copies of it and if you tear it up it will do nothing for your conviction," she said.

Hughes just glared at her as if she was retarded. Oh well, it wasn't her fault he refused his attorney. She told him several times throughout the interview, on record, that he had the right to stay silent and call for his lawyer at any time. He waved the right every time.

"Jane, what are you doing?" Korsak demanded the moment she entered the room behind the mirror.

She shrugged. "Improvising," she replied, "Has Maura returned with the statement yet?"

"The last time I talked to her she said that Sophie was still out like a light," Frost replied, "Apparently nearly dying a second time was what finally exhausted her."

"Dammit," Jane cried, "Just once I would like a tiny break. Now I have to go admit to our stupid bad guy that I lied about the damn statement."

A knock on the door stopped the rant immediately. The detective rushed to the door and tugged it open with all of her might. Her best friend was standing there with the statement in her hands.

"I hope you made a copy," Jane replied as she snatched the paper out of the doctor's hands.

"I made two actually," Maura winked in reply, "and the one you are currently holding is one of them. I decided to put the actual statement in the case file before I came over. Sophie woke up right after Frost called. I figured you would like to use it to get the confession from Hughes."

"You are amazing," Jane cried kissing her friend on the cheek as she went.

She entered the interrogation room with a pep in her step. She slammed the statement down on the ground and grinned. Hughes went pale immediately. He looked downright outraged by the statement. Then he turned towards the detective with narrowed eyes.

"I want my lawyer now," he replied.


	17. Prison Break

Eliot Spencer hated trials. Anytime the thief and hacker tried to get him to watch an episode of Law and Order it was the trial that always had him saying no. The cops were pretty cool but the trial process just took forever. Still, real life was nothing compared to television. Trials in the real world could last as long as three years. Thankfully this one did not seem to be as doomed though.

"Mr. Spencer," the prosecutor asked slowly, "Could you please explain your exact profession for the jury?"

Eliot rolled his eyes at the cliché move.

"I'm a retrieval specialist," he replied.

"And what exactly does a retrieval specialist do?" The female prosecutor with gorgeous legs asked.

"I retrieve certain items through illegal, sometimes legal, means for a specific client," Eliot responded.

"Could you be more specific?" The prosecutor with a wedding band on her left hand asked.

"I'm a thief," the hitter replied lazily, "Often I'm sent to areas of heavy security to get something as simple as a password to a computer mainframe or to steal a painting from the Vatican."

"What do you do to the security officers in charge of protecting these objects?" The prosecutor demanded softly, yet again repeating the heavily rehearsed interview.

"I hit them," Eliot replied, "I knock them out for a few hours or detain them in a room so I may retrieve the object with little to no problems."

"Have you had any employers recently?" She asked, finally getting to her point after the cascade of questions from before.

"Yes," the hitter replied as honestly as possible. He really couldn't help the bored tone in his voice. He really was sick of this case now.

"Who?" The prosecutor demanded sharply. Great, now he was in trouble.

"Joshua Hughes," Eliot replied, "The defendant whose trial we are currently at."

"Mr. Hughes hired you?" She asked. Eliot just nodded because he was sick of saying yes and her eyes said not to say anything. "What exactly did he hire you for?"

"He hired me to kill Soph… Sophie Devereaux," Eliot said.

The jury immediately squirmed at the idea of murder. The hitter tried to avoid looking at them but he couldn't help it. He watched as each one stared at him with different levels of scorn and disgust. If they only knew half of it. The prosecutor cleared her throat and the hitter immediately snapped back to attention. He ignored the prickling in his eyes and stared straight ahead as previously directed. He was not going to screw this up.

"And you agreed to this?" She asked.

He nodded again, not trusting his throat to convey the proper neutral emotion at the moment.

"Please let the record show that the witness nodded," the prosecutor asked, "Now, Mr. Spencer, why did you agree to kill Sophie Devereaux?"

"Objection," Hughes' lawyer demanded loudly, "A.B.C."

"This is Ms. Langley's witness," the judge rolled his eyes in exasperation.

Hughes' new lawyer was constantly getting things wrong. He was Hughes' usual lawyer's new recruit. The hitter didn't exactly know the details but he was pretty certain his old team was involved somehow. Nate would do anything to insure Sophie's almost murderer never got out of prison again.

"She is allowed to ask whatever questions she wishes, Mr. Rogers, as long as it is relevant to the case," the judge finished, "Please answer the question, Mr. Spencer."

"I agreed to kill Sophie… Ms. Devereaux because Mr. Hughes had threatened the lives of my friends," Eliot replied bitterly.

He couldn't help but take note of the pitying expression on the prosecutor's face. Even the jury members were giving him strange looks. They were probably wondering why he was so sad about his deeds. He was a trained killer after all.

"Mr. Spencer," the prosecutor began, "do you know why you were asked to take this case on? Basically why you were black-mailed into it?"

"Objection," Rogers called out, "She just asked two questions and added opinion to one of them."

"I was rephrasing my question so the witness would understand where I was going, your honor," Langley smiled towards the judge.

"Sustained," the judge replied with a smile in return.

"Mr. Spencer, what is your relationship with Sophie Devereaux?" Langley countered softly.

"Objection, relevance!" Rogers announced triumphantly.

"It explains the question I was trying to ask further that you wished me to rephrase, Mr. Rogers," Langley spit back with another smile.

"I'll allow it," the judge agreed, "but you are getting better at this, Mr. Rogers."

"Sophie… Ms. Devereaux and I work on the same team," Eliot explained sharply. He couldn't help the soft hiss that escaped his lips either.

"You're saying Ms. Devereaux, the victim, is a thief as well?" Langley asked.

"Yes," Eliot nodded.

"Then why would Hughes want you to shoot Ms. Devereaux?" Langley demanded in mock confusion, "He had to have known you were both working together."

"He did," Eliot replied.

"Objection, speculation," Rogers cheered immediately.

"If it helps I will ask the witness to prove this," Langley replied right on cue.

"Please do," the judge nodded in consent.

"Mr. Spencer?" Langley asked, "Do you mind telling us how you could be so certain he knew you worked together?"

"Hughes is a former mark," Eliot explained, "It was two years ago when our crew was still establishing its power in Boston. Hughes was getting away with the deaths of several workers because the deaths couldn't be proven as his company's fault. It was my team's job to find those records and make certain he paid for his crimes."

"And how is Ms. Devereaux involved in this?" Langley demanded, "There is no proof to your claim."

"She was using the alias Annie Kroy," Eliot said, "I played her bodyguard while our boss was the middleman."

"So Mr. Hughes would be more than familiar with your face," Langley replied, "enough to find you again?"

"Our hacker does his best to hide us but sometimes even he can't," Eliot defended his unrepresented friend smoothly, "It is my job to pick up where he left off."

"How did you come into contact with Mr. Hughes again?" Langley asked next, "He was in prison so it must have been next to impossible."

"He called me on a secure line that I reserve for side jobs," Eliot answered, "I recognized his voice and he asked me to meet a representative of his at the sight."

"Could you tell us the name of that representative?" Langley asked.

"Larry Duberman," Eliot nodded, "another former mark."

"Your team must have made a lot of enemies, Mr. Spencer," Langley replied, "How can you be so certain Mr. Duberman wasn't acting alone?"

"Because the voice on the phone belonged to Hughes," the hitter recalled, "and Hughes was also present at the meeting via video conference."

"Video conference," Langley nodded, "Thank you. I'll have to keep that in mind when I question the prison guards. Mr. Spencer, please tell me what he showed you to make you want to work for him."

"He showed me pictures of Soph… Ms. Devereaux and the rest of the team," Eliot explained, "the first ones were harmless shots of them on the street a few blocks away. As I scanned through the rest of them though, I slowly discovered that it was just a false hope."

"Just to clarify," Langley interrupted, "These pictures in my hand? The ones the Boston P.D. discovered during their search of yours and Ms. Devereaux's homes?"

"Yes," Eliot replied.

"Which ones made you think Mr. Hughes meant harm?" She asked, "Most of them look pretty harmless to me."

"Like I said before that's what I thought too," Eliot shouted towards the woman, "Then as I went through them more I discovered I was wrong. Most of the pictures were photos of my friends, my teammates sleeping soundly in their beds as if they had no idea somebody was there."

"And that's threatening?" Langley pressed.

"They're trained professionals," Eliot explained, "They are light sleepers by nature. They don't sleep through home invasions. If they did, they would be dead or captured by now. Only a professional assassin could get into those buildings without alerting thieves who have escaped the best cops in the world."

"Is that your professional opinion?" Langley asked in amazement.

"Yes," Eliot replied, "as somebody who used to kill people for a living, yes."

"No further questions," the prosecutor smiled as she sat down at her chair.

Mr. Rodgers nervously blew out a strain of air. Then he straightened his tie and stood up. He buttoned his jacket and looked expectantly towards the judge.

"You have the floor, Mr. Rodgers," the judge nodded with a wink.

"Thank you," the defense lawyer replied, "Mr. Spencer; you mentioned that you are a retrieval specialist?"

Eliot blinked at the statement. "Yes," he said, sounding just as confused as the prosecutor looked.

"What exactly did you do before you were a retrieval specialist?" Rodgers shrugged in question.

"Objection, A.B.C." Langley shouted right on cue.

"Credibility," Rodgers responded kindly.

"Answer, Mr. Spencer," the judge nodded, clearly impressed with the new lawyer's learning curve.

"I was a hired gun," Eliot replied, "I was hired by many people, some similar to Mr. Hughes and some not, to 'take care of' certain enemies."

"And just to clarify," Rodgers nodded, "what does 'take care of' mean?"

"Murder, threaten or maim," the hitter rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"So you're a bad guy," Rodgers clarified with a smile.

"Objection!" Langley shouted.

"Withdrawn," Rodgers rolled his eyes, "You mentioned a boss when Ms. Langley was questioning you. Who exactly is he?"

"Relevance?" Langley shouted in dismay.

"You opened the door," the judge reminded, "Mr. Rodgers is entitled to enlighten the jury on the matter."

"Our employer," Eliot replied slowly, "is Nathan Ford."

"Nathan Ford," Rodgers nodded, "You mean the man who was originally suspected of committing the crime before you confessed?"

"Yes," Eliot nodded, catching onto the defense attorney's

"The same man suspected of abducting Ms. Devereaux from the hospital while still in police custody making it impossible for her to be questioned at this very trial?"

"Yes," the hitter growled.

"So it could be safe to say," Rodgers replied, "That Mr. Ford could be responsible for the attack on Ms. Devereaux?"

"Objection, speculation," Langley answered right on cue.

"Sustained," the judge replied, "You're pushing the limit, Mr. Rodgers."

"Isn't there evidence that points to you having an affair with Ms. Devereaux?" Rodgers asked in reply, "It goes towards witness credibility, your honor."

"I am aware, Mr. Rodgers," the judge nodded.

"Yes," the hitter replied.

"Yet there is no evidence that my client had anything to do with your attempt on Ms. Devereaux's life," Rodgers sighed, "Is there any evidence that suggests Mr. Ford could have been responsible for Ms. Devereaux's attack?"

"Yes," Eliot shrugged.

"But Mr. Ford isn't on trial and my client is," Rodgers nodded in despair, "Tell me, Mr. Spencer, is it even remotely possible that you could be lying to protect your boss' crime, Mr. Ford's crime?"

"It could be possible," Eliot nodded, "but…"

"But you could also be doing this just to get yourself a lighter sentence, yes?" Mr. Rodgers interrupted smoothly.

"But evidence shows that I was the first one to arrive on the scene before the ambulance," Eliot growled, finally losing his temper despite his best efforts, "and that Sophie and I had photographs of the other team-members. Evidence shows that I had notes that match Mr. Hughes' handwriting that explain what would happen if I didn't fulfill my end of the deal. So yes, Mr. Rodgers, I am testifying against Mr. Hughes to get a lighter sentence. But it is so that bastard can go back to prison and never hurt my teammates again!"

"Is that another confession?" Rodgers demanded in reply.

"No," the hitter shook his head, "It's the answer to your question. I'm doing this because he did the crime and he deserves to pay the time."

Langley looked quite smug at his answer. Unfortunately, so did Mr. Rodgers. He unbuttoned his jacket and sat right down as if the questioning went exactly the way he wanted it to. He was acting as if he was winning. He whispered something into Hughes' ear, smiling all the while. Then he lazily turned towards the judge and nodded.

"I have no further questions, your honor," Rodgers winked.

"Bailiff," the judge replied, "Please escort Mr. Spencer out of my courtroom and back to his prison cell. Unless you would like to cross-examine, Ms. Langley?"

"I'm finished with this witness, your honor," Langley replied.

The judge hit his gavel on the desk and nodded for the police to go. Eliot allowed his escorts to take him to his designated police car. He ignored the polite chatter his escorts tried to make with him. He stared out of the window and wondered if he would ever hear news about the team's fate.

Nate was never going to talk to him again. Being the man that nearly killed his girlfriend definitely ended any possibility of continued friendship. Hardison was probably going to talk to him eventually. It would be pretty close towards the end of his team but it could happen. The hacker clearly believed in the affair idea and wouldn't be appeased by the police until the grifter confirmed it never happened. It would be a long while before he even bothered to try to make contact. Parker, however, would contact him at least once. She would give a brief summary on things going on and ask him how his life was going. She'd never visit him, except in the middle of the night. He was on his own once again. It was how it should be.

The prison guards did their usual routine of patting him down. He was given his favorite orange uniform and made quick work of changing into it while they waited. They nodded to the guard by the door and the familiar buzz sounded. Together they walked the hitter to his amazing cell that he shared with absolutely no one. It was a perk given during the plea deal. Sure, Detective Rizzoli only did it because she didn't want him to hurt any of the other inmates, and vice versa, but it worked. The guards were even kind enough to give him company and exercise when he needed it. He helped them out during riots and kept the peace. It was a fair trade.

The guards uncuffed him without closing the bars. They made certain Eliot's wrists were fine and carefully watched him take his usual seat. They handed over his current book, To Kill a Mockingbird, and kindly locked the door behind him. The hitter smiled at the Snickers bar they smuggled him. It looked like he was going to have to let Officer Hardy win their next basketball game, at least for the first quarter.

%

Nathan Ford was sipping away at his mug of Irish coffee when Brancato finally made an appearance. He watched as the mob-boss made his way towards him with a friendly smile on his face. Nate stayed seated as the man approached him. Brancato only looked slightly surprised by the move. He held out his hand expectantly and was shocked when the mastermind didn't take it.

"Mr. Ford," Brancato said suddenly nervous with their meeting, "May I ask what this meeting is about?"

"You're here to bail your brother out of trouble again, aren't you?" Nate demanded with a roll of his eyes.

Brancato's face fell at the cold deliver. He immediately collapsed into the chair across from his ally and stopped the pleasantries.

"I believe my personal business is of no relevance to-" he began.

"Did you hear what your brother did?" Nate demanded harshly.

Brancato bowed his head in respect.

"I heard about Mr. Spencer's attack on Ms. Devereaux," he replied, "I'm sorry it happened but I must admit that I had no idea my half-brother would ever do something even remotely-"

"Cut the political crap," Nate ordered sternly, flicking his eyes towards the hacker's camera out of boredom to show his power, "The way I see it, your little miss-hap is a declaration of war."

"Mr. Ford, that's a little harsh-" Brancato began but the mastermind raised his hand to stop him.

"Harsh doesn't even begin to describe the things I will do to you if you don't back off!" He replied, "Now I'm a very reasonable man. I gave you the benefit of the doubt when I discovered Hughes was your brother and you hid that information from us. I understand that necessary action, I do. But your brother went after my grifter by black-mailing my hitter into taking the hit. That I take personally."

"I'm sure you do," Brancato agreed, "but what do you want from me?"

"I want you to leave your brother out to dry this time," the mastermind explained with an evil smile on his face, "You won't pay for his council. You won't get him out of prison to a nice cushioned country with no extradition treaty. You will do nothing to help him whatsoever. Do you understand?"

"I do," Brancato nodded, "What will happen if I don't do as you wish?"

Nate stared at the mobboss with a careful, thoughtful expression on his face. He allowed the man to squirm under his close scrutiny. Then he leaned forward, stood up and bared his teeth like the Alpha Wolf of the pack.

"I will end you," he said, "In the most volatile way imaginable. I will gut you like a fish, from the inside out. My team will come after you and you won't be able to stop it. My connections will have you in a tailspin before you even get the chance to call for reinforcements. I will not only destroy your business. I will make you an example to all those who wish to cross me. You won't survive it, Donny-boy."

"I understand," Brancato nodded softly. He even swallowed in fear at the older man's approach. "I will do as you order."

"Good boy," the mastermind mocked, "Now, please inform all of your closest 'friends' that my grifter is number one on their 'do not touch' list. I do not want a repeat performance."

"Yes sir," Brancato replied.

"And our treaty is over," Nate said as he entered his car to leave their meeting, "Your job is to avoid me at all costs. I won't touch your men but it's not because I can't. If I, or my teammates, ask for your assistance, you will deliver it. Understand? You work for me now."

Then the mastermind left the table without another look back. He didn't even bother to pay for the bill and it was a very expensive bill. He knew his message was bluntly clear. Brancato knew his place and there was only one decision to make.

%

"Spencer," Officer Hardy said, slamming his hand on the bars to get the hitter's attention, "Lights out. Save your page and try to rest up. I want you at your absolute best when it comes to tomorrow's game."

"You doing your rounds an hour early for the play-offs?" Eliot asked good-naturedly.

"You know I can't tell you that," Hardy winked, "Don't worry, the Celtics are getting their asses handed to them on a silver platter."

"It's only the first quarter," the hitter laughed lightly, "They always bounce back in the third."

"Hope not," Hardy chuckled, "I don't want to lose our bet again. Sleep well, Spencer."

"You too," Eliot called.

The hitter lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling as the officer left. There was something about the day that was tugging at his mind. Something was off and he couldn't figure out what. Whatever it was, he hoped it wasn't another riot. He ended up with a dislocated shoulder last time saving Hardy from getting shot. Thankfully all of the officers understood that he was on their side otherwise that would have been awful. The other prisoners actually hated him for it too.

"Psst!"

Eliot sat up straight at that noise. He looked right, left and all around in hopes of finding the source. Then he stopped moving and quietly waited for the sound to come again.

"Psst!"

The hitter slowly tilted his head upwards and stared at the tiny thief above his head.

"Parker," he hissed quietly.

"HI," she waved with a bright smile on her face.

"What are you doing here?" He barked.

"We're here to rescue you," she replied, smiling impossibly wider.

"Parker, you can't…" he paused," What do you mean we?"

"Hardison and I are here to rescue you," she clarified and yep, there was that evil glint shining in her eyes, "Come on. Get a move on. Hardison says they're going to start their rounds soon because it's getting close to half-time. Half-time does happen in basketball too, right?"

"Yes, Parker," the hitter rolled his eyes, "but you know Nate's not going to like the idea of you guys risking yourselves…"

"Just shut up and get over here," the thief growled impatiently.

The hitter thought about arguing. All of the ideas on how stupid this plan seemed were vibrating in his head. He knew the thief wasn't thinking of the consequences. She wasn't seeing the big picture or the baggage this would cause their team. But his mouth and tongue refused to work properly. He was forced to do nothing but nod his head and agree to the thief's terms. Thankfully she didn't mock him with a teasing grin.

It was oddly easy, escaping prison. It was nothing compared to the one they stole the mastermind from. The hitter and thief were out of the building in seconds flat. Hardison even gave the hitter a wink and a grin as they raced away from their prison break. Silence conquered the van throughout their journey. They were headed somewhere outside of Boston. It looked very remote and less traveled on. They would be safe from prying eyes for a while at the very least.

The house they finally pulled up to was small. It was a cottage that looked barely big enough for a family of two. There was an expansive yard but nothing about the house was impressive. It was the best safe house Eliot Spencer had seen in a very long time.

"This is it," Hardison called, "This is our home for a while."

The hitter stared at his best friend in complete confusion.

"You didn't honestly think we'd just leave you there alone, did you?" Parker asked with a light laugh.

"You're family," Hardison explained, "We've got your back."

"But I stabbed Sophie," Eliot gasped, still not comprehending this odd acceptance, "I almost killed her. You should be running as far away from me as possible. I'm dangerous."

"We're not forgiving you for it," the hacker replied, his voice suddenly dark and dangerous, "But we know you were trying to protect us."

"And you sure did take forever to actually get the job done," the thief shrugged, "Sophie says you had no choice."

"She forgives you and eventually we will too," the hacker nodded, "It will take a very long time but we know you, Eliot. You wouldn't do that unless you were protecting our team. We'll take the rest as it comes."

"And Nate wants to talk to you as soon as you finish changing into your normal clothes," Parker chimed with a skip in her step.

The hitter had no idea what to say to that. He just nodded his head and followed his teammates. He took a deep breath and entered the house.


	18. Apologies of a Sort

**A/N:** _Thank you guys so much for reading this story. We have finally come to the end and I hope you guys like it. I hope to see you guys in the reviews again some time soon. Enjoy and thank you!_

Eliot paused with his hand on the door. He felt the tremors envelope his every sense as he tried to knock on the door. Then he straightened his brand new t-shirt. He adjusted the belt on his jeans and squeaked each boot just to make sure they were properly broken in. He raised his hand to knock again, failing to actually do so. Instead he made certain his hair was perfectly placed into his pony-tail. Then he remembered that Parker and Hardison had to hack it all off so he wouldn't be recognized so close to town. He quickly thrust the hair out of his eyes and silently cursed the relief he felt at not having the tent of hair on his neck. Sure it was gorgeous, but it felt so nice to have the breeze on his neck.

He raised his hand to knock again. This time the door flew open and revealed the patient mastermind behind it. Eliot froze at the steady glare he was receiving. He opened his mouth to speak and failed miserably. Nate kindly understood what he was trying to get at.

"Are you just going to stand out there like a nervous wreck or be a man and say hi?" He asked with only a slight hint of coldness in his tone.

Eliot honestly thought about running for the hills at top speed, screaming like a little girl. Unfortunately his pride and the daring glint in his boss' eyes forced him forward. He walked through the door and nearly screamed at what he saw.

The grifter was smiling back at him, blinking owlishly at best. She was sitting up in bed and actually had some of her usual color back in her cheeks. She was thoroughly attached to a nice stream of IV's. She even looked pleased to see him. But her eyes were watching the mastermind like a hawk, refusing to leave him even when she knew she was being watched.

"Hello… Eliot," she croaked, her voice sounding scratchy and weak.

"Soph," he nodded, "How are you feeling?"

"Like you stabbed me twelve times in the chest… and ran me over with a truck," she joked with a light giggle that sounded quite painful and highly strained.

She went into a coughing fit immediately. Eliot felt his muscles strain to swiftly get her something to drink, but the mastermind was faster. Nate poured a glass and had it in front of her face before the hitter could even blink. He was slowly tipping the thing up as the grifter sipped away. He was even rubbing circles in her back to relieve some of the tension in her shoulders.

"I think it's too soon to make jokes, Soph," Nate muttered into her ear, his voice soft and full of worry.

"Worry-wart," the grifter mumbled back, between gasping breaths and careful sips of water.

"Do you need me to leave?" Eliot asked uncomfortably. He wasn't quite sure if he was allowed to be in the room anymore. They certainly didn't need him to stay.

"Stay," Nate ordered, his voice dipping to a very dangerous octave. He turned towards the hitter with venomous eyes, "You have to see this."

"Nate," Sophie growled softly, "He didn't have a choice."

"He did have a choice," Nate shouted right on cue, turning towards the grifter with helpless eyes, "He should have come to me! He should not have involved you. He didn't need to. He recklessly put your life in danger all because some guy had pictures."

"Pictures that pretty much implied how close they could get to killing you!" Eliot growled in his own defense, for some reason he couldn't understand.

"You should have come to us!" Nate spat back immediately, "We're a team, Eliot! We're supposed to work together. We were blind-sided because of you!"

"Don't forget that he came to me, Nate," Sophie bit back with a sad smile.

She placed her hand on his cheek and the mastermind immediately obeyed her silent command. His eyes fell back on her with worry, fear and every other emotion imaginable clearly written on his features. Apparently the wall he worked so hard to build was useless against her.

"I betrayed you too," she reminded with another croak in her too soft voice.

"You were the target," Eliot explained, his tongue stuttering on every syllable, "If I didn't do the job somebody else would and you would all be dead. I didn't have a choice."

"You should have told us!" Nate screamed towards the younger man, "That was your choice and you blew it. We deserved to know. I could have made a plan…"

"OH because you've always included us in those plans?" Eliot hissed back immediately, "Yeah, because you're not the one who literally lied to us about giving yourself up to sterling to make certain you were the only one who went to prison! Remember that mayor job, Nate?"

"That was different," the mastermind began.

"No," Eliot shook his head, "It was the exact same thing. You were protecting us and you did it by lying because you knew we wouldn't let you do it otherwise. It was the same thing!"

"No, it wasn't the same thing, Eliot!" Nate shouted towards the younger man, his face turning purple from the anger boiling towards the surface, "By saving this team you endangered not only yourself but another member! That's how it's different! When your plan incorporates another person's life everything changes."

"I tried to think of ways out of it, Nate," The hitter replied softly, "I had Sophie conning everybody I knew to secure a safe way out. She was the only one I couldn't save."

"You should have stabbed me," the mastermind hissed scornfully, "That was a better choice you could have made. Your story would have still worked. All you would have had to tell Hughes was that I got in the way. His revenge would have been complete."

"Except Hughes didn't want you dead," the grifter's soft, delicate voice whispered through the air, "He wanted me dead because he knew I was important to you. He wanted Eliot to do it because that would be a bigger betrayal. He knew the likelihood of his plan working. He wanted one that would ruin us no matter what happened. He knew you would never forgive us, Nate."

The hitter blinked at the grifter's statement. He had honestly never thought of that. He really thought it was just about destroying Nate in ways nobody else was able to. This theory was confirmed when several of his retrieval buddies explained the massive back-ups in place should Eliot fail. He had no idea it was the physical act that was needed.

"But why did Hughes come after you when you were in the hospital?" He croaked in confusion.

"Because I was going to kill him no matter what," Nate responded in misery, "So he figured he might as well finish it. It was a good plan."

Silence filled the room at the mastermind's dark thoughts. The hitter couldn't help but stare at the grifter in surprise. Her brown eyes were glued to the mastermind, counting every breath he took and every move he made. The hitter's eyebrows scrunched down when he noticed the sadness etched in her eyes as she observed the man she loved. She was even biting her lip in concentration.

"May I speak to Sophie alone?" Eliot asked softly.

The mastermind's response was almost lethal with his great glare and formed fists.

"No," he growled, "You can't. After everything you've…"

"Nate," the grifter snapped, her voice filled with warning and calm, "He has every right and you know it."

The mastermind stared at her with betrayal clearly on his features. Then he slowly nodded his head in pitiful defeat. He walked towards the grifter and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. He gave her shoulders a long, gentle squeeze and headed towards the door as if nothing happened. He paused when he drew even with the hitter again, his eyes narrowed with hatred.

"Don't hurt her," he snapped in a whisper the grifter was straining to hear, "Or I will kill you."

Then he opened the door and the grifter abruptly called for his name. There was panic blazing in her eyes, wide and terrified at his retreat. She even looked ready to bolt from the bed to chase after him. The mastermind merely smiled at her and shook his head. At least he could still read her thoughts.

"I'm just going to be waiting right outside the door," Nate told her softly, "I won't be very far."

The grifter nodded at his answer. She sat back in her bed and seemed only temporarily mollified by his statement. But her brown eyes refused to leave the mastermind for even a second. Nate, for his part, just gave the hitter another powerful glare before he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. The grifter's eyes were still glued to the spot as if she could see the mastermind eaves-dropping. Her eyes only vaguely recognized the hitter's movement as she stared at the door like a hopeful child.

"He's not leaving you, Soph," the hitter replied to her mind's stupid thoughts.

That was enough. The grifter snapped to attention at the hitter's close proximity. She even tried to move her legs a bit for him to sit. Unfortunately her wince gave her away. Of course he could hear her breath hitch and the soft moans escaping her every few moments.

"Do you need more morphine?" He asked, already reaching for the button to give her more medicine.

"No," she said, shaking her head irritably, "I'm fine."

"No," the hitter shook his head in turn, "You're not fine, Soph. If you're hurt let me know."

"I'm not mad at you, Eliot," she replied softly, "I would have done the same thing and Nate knows it. I know you did everything you could."

"You should have told Nate," Eliot responded immediately, "I was wrong in telling you not to."

"Did Hughes threaten the others if Nate knew?" Sophie demanded knowingly.

The hitter bowed his head in answer. Then he felt the grifter's hand on his chin, forcing him to meet her eyes. He huffed at her grifting skills. He rolled his eyes and nodded his head.

"Then you did everything you could," she replied simply, "We were both stupid. You just paid for more than your share."

"More than my share," Eliot repeated in scorn, "Sophie, I nearly killed you. In fact my intention was to kill you. You were just too stubborn to die!"

"Do you regret it?" She asked in that insufferable way that meant she was reading your mind.

"Of course," he spat towards her indignantly, "You have no idea how much I wanted to admit to it when Nate asked for my help. I could barely even lie when the truth came out… He deserved to know the truth, Sophie."

"You could tell Nate that," Sophie remarked softly, "He needs to hear it. He needs you to tell him that you didn't want to-"

"It doesn't matter, Soph," Eliot shook his head at her thoughts; "He doesn't want an apology. He almost killed Hughes because of what he did to you. What do you think he wants to do to me?"

"Wring your neck, tear off a few limbs and feed them to you through your arse," she said, giggling gently at the image, "but imagine what he wants to do to me. You aren't the only one who lied to him, Eliot."

"He's not leaving you, Soph," Eliot said, staring the grifter directly in the eyes, "There's a reason he wants to kill me and it's because I almost killed you."

"No," she shook her head at the idea, looking even more like a lost puppy as she stared at her bedroom door hopelessly, "You saw the hurt in his eyes when you asked to be alone. He believed your story. No matter how often I tell him it was never true, it will still be there in the back of his mind; convincing him there was some truth to the statement."

"Hardison said that Duberman was able to switch some voices around so it sounded like we…" Eliot paused as he tried to figure out the best way to continue the conversation.

"He suspected foul play long before they played him the recordings," Sophie replied, "You pulled off your con flawlessly. I'm actually kind of proud. There are very few people in this world who can actually con me. You should consider yourself blessed with a gift."

"All he did was use your weakness against you," a familiar voice huffed in frustration.

"Parker!" Eliot growled towards the thief affectionately. He couldn't be held accountable for the reflexive motion of getting into fighting position and blocking the grifter from harm. Of course, the satisfied smirk on the thief's face didn't help either.

"What?" She growled towards him happily, "It's time to change out her IV and you haven't been here long enough to learn where everything is. Plus, Nate wants me to check the bandages to see if they need to be changed."

Eliot rolled his eyes at the thief's statement and turned towards the grifter with an exasperated expression. That expression soon dropped when he observed the grifter. Her face had immediately paled at the thief's presence. Her brown eyes were black with panic. She was searching through the door, her eyes growing wider and wider with fear. She flinched when the thief touched her shoulder.

"It's alright," the thief cried, her voice pitched low with concern and tenderness, "I'm not going to hurt you. I just need you to extend your arm to make sure the IV is working properly."

"Where's Nate?" Sophie mumbled.

She was still staring at the door but the hitter noticed she was shaking in the thief's grasp. He could see her eyes bugging out in search of the mastermind who was no longer at the door. The hitter furrowed his eyebrows as he tried to understand the grifter's actions. It became perfectly apparent when the thief tried to check the bandages.

"No!" Sophie shouted towards the thief, looking at her in complete horror, "You can't!"

Parker stared at the grifter in confusion. "But Nate said to…" she began.

"No, Nate's supposed to do it!" The brunette shook her head in anger, finally peeling her eyes away from the door long enough to glare at the thief.

Parker tried to pull the grifter closer but she had other plans. Sophie pushed against the thief in alarm. Then she proceeded to shuffle herself, quite painfully if the winces and grunts she was making were anything to go by, to the other side of the bed. Her eyes kept darting towards the door in a solid panic. Eliot was already on his way to stop the grifter from falling off the bed when the mastermind suddenly materialized out of nowhere. Nate was by the grifter's side in moments, coaxing her back onto the bed to cooperate with Parker. The hitter was amazed when the grifter grabbed the mastermind's hand and refused to let go. Her eyes were fixed on the man whispering encouraging words to her.

"Parker, skip the bandages," the mastermind ordered softly, refusing to take his eyes away from the grifter for even a moment, "I'll change them after our walk."

"You're not going to make her walk around the house again, are you?" Parker demanded defensively glaring at the mastermind in scorn, "Hardison nearly had a heart attack when he saw you carrying her in last time."

"Just to the kitchen and back, I promise Parker," Nate nodded without removing his gaze from the grifter who seemed to be very involved in the staring contest.

Eliot looked towards the thief for any sign of what was going on. She gave him a scathing look for a few seconds before she shook her head and her expressed turned sad. She squeezed his arm before she carefully closed the door behind her. The hitter turned back towards the leaders in hopes of understanding. All he saw were two people highly in love with each other who were staring at each other as if they would never see each other again. Then he understood exactly what was going on.

"I think I'm going to go and leave you two alone," he said, stepping back very carefully.

He stopped when he realized they weren't answering him. They didn't even look at him. Sophie just stared at the mastermind with wide fearful eyes. Nate, in turn, gently placed his hand upon her cheek and stared right back.

The hitter cursed at what he was seeing. It was obvious to him what the grifter was so afraid of. He had to fight back the impulse to punch the mastermind for being so thick. Of course, Nate probably would have invited the opportunity to beat out some of that frustration. Sophie wouldn't be so freaked out after that. Maybe that was why the hitter was still able to be there. So, Eliot took a few threatening steps forward, ready to provoke the mastermind in battle.

But he had other plans.

"I'm not leaving you, Lara," Nate said.

The hitter stopped immediately. He stared at the mastermind in complete and utter shock. Even the grifter's surprised expression couldn't rival his. Eliot Spencer was absolutely amazed by something as simple as the use of a name. When did Nate even learn her name anyway?

"I will never leave you," Nate promised solemnly, "Don't you dare ever think I could."

"You said you were going to be just outside the room," Sophie said back with panic still in her voice, "You promised."

"I'm entitled to go to the bathroom, Soph," Nate chuckled, "I sent Parker with the idea that she would distract you for a bit."

"But you think Eliot and I actually…" Sophie gasped, as if she was hyperventilating, "and we didn't but that… that doesn't matter because…. Because they still had some… ev-evidence and it seemed as though-as though we actually… actually-"

The mastermind silenced her with a kiss. He ignored the tears that cascaded down the grifter's cheeks. He just held her lips against his own until she finally began to calm down again. When he broke away, it was only to plant a few small kissed on her face.

"You said you didn't," Nate explained calmly, "and I believe you. The matter's settled."

Sophie stared at him as if she didn't believe him. Then her terse lips slowly began to grow into a genuine smile of disbelief. She wrapped her arms around the mastermind's neck, squeezing him tight.

"You said my name," she wheezed into his ear, "You never use my real name."

Nate just laughed at her realization. He helped her to her feet and laughed again at her glare.

"The doctor said you have to start walking if you expect improvement," he said, "I would gladly wait on you hand and foot but eventually you will get fed up with the babying."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" The hitter asked softly.

"Yes," Nate nodded, "Soph, try to get to the door without me. Eliot and I need to get this over with now."

"Go… go easy on him," she begged, taking her IV with her as she shakingly walked towards the designated area.

Eliot watched the mastermind fight every impulse to help her to the door. He felt his own muscles tense as they both watched the grifter stumble her way to the door. He winced at the relief he saw on her features when she finally made it to the wall. She was resting on it when the hitter turned back to the mastermind. He was met with a pair of very angry blue eyes.

"This is your fault," Nate said, nodding towards the grifter to make his point, "She would be fine if it wasn't for you."

"I know," Eliot replied with sorrow deep within his voice, "I will do whatever I can to make it up to you all. You have to believe that I wouldn't have done it if I didn't believe it was the only way."

"I know," Nate said, his eyes hardening even more, "and that is the only reason why I told Parker and Hardison to break you out."

"I suppose waiting until after the trial was necessary?" Eliot joked softly, silently dreading what would come out of the mastermind's lips next.

"I was going to make you wait a year," the mastermind winked viciously, "but she asked for your freedom. I promised her that you would return after you testified."

The hitter nodded at the silent portion of the conversation. He understood that he screwed up. He understood that his punishment wasn't finished. But he also understood that Sophie was his only ally, at least for a while. She was Nate's conscience on this one. That should not have been as comforting as it was.

"Just know I will never forgive you for this," Nate hissed into the hitter's ear, "I may move past this but I will never forgive this betrayal. And you know why I can't."

The hitter turned his gaze towards his friend with sadness in his eyes. Yet relief was oddly the emotion taking him over most. He studied the mastermind's earnest expression for a while and finally nodded. He watched as the older man's eyes slid towards the grifter and worry took over his gaze. Then Eliot Spencer finally understood why he was so happy the mastermind would never forgive him for this.

"I wouldn't want it any other way," Eliot smiled, "Now, go get her. I can practically feel you struggling not to help her from here. I have absolutely no idea how she's not sick of you already."

"Parker and Hardison already have a bet going," Nate laughed in agreement.

Eliot laughed too. Despite the mastermind's words he could detect a slight hint of forgiveness. He could already see the harshness in his eyes fading. His anger would subside eventually. They would be a family again. The hitter smiled at the knowledge. They would be fine. It would take a long while, but they would be fine. That was all that mattered.

%

Back at Boston's Police Headquarters:

"I have just been informed that Eliot Spencer has escaped," the chief reported to his crew members.

"Wait a minute," Korsak gasped, "You're telling me that Ford actually broke out the man who carried out the hit on his girlfriend."

"Now, that's screwed up!" Frost agreed, biting into a jelly donut with fervor.

"This isn't going to affect the case any, is it?" Jane demanded immediately, "Because if so I will nail Ford's ass if it means putting this guy behind bars."

"It won't be necessary, Jane," the chief waved her off with a wink, "I have just been informed that Hughes took a plea deal to serve twenty-five years without parole on top of his fifteen years for his original crime. He's also looking at an additional twelve years in a Maximum security prison outside of Massachusetts with many, many guards. He's not getting out this time around or ever again."

"Well, I think it is kind of harsh that he doesn't get any parole," Maura replied sadly, "That should at least be an option after his twenty-five years."

"It is," the chief laughed, "but Ford's probably got a plan in motion to screw that prospect up for him."

"I'm okay with that," Jane shrugged, "At least we got the bad guy behind bars and we don't have to chase Ford and his team anymore."

"They'll be back, Jane," Maura sighed, "They defy all logical statistics."

"Plus it's Ford's home," the chief agreed, "They'll be back again if only for that reason alone."

"And we'll be ready for them," Frost muttered through a mouthful of donut.

"Are you going to follow orders and arrest them this time?" The chief demanded of Frost with a smile.

"Of course," Jane lied, "It is our policy to capture anybody who does not uphold to the law."

"It's just not our fault if they disappear before we can arrest them," Korsak added with a wink.

"I'll drink to that," the chief muttered.

He proceeded to pour everybody a round of amber liquid shots. He served them out to each and every one of his comrades. Then he lifted up his glass and gave a quick toast. Everybody joined him in a drink of salute to the thieves who once owned and protected their city. They immediately carried on with their lives as if nothing had ever happened.


End file.
